Cosmic Crisis 2: The Return of Orion
by Nekofeko
Summary: The sequel to Cosmic Crisis. Orion returns to Earth to have his revenge on the ZSenshi. Version 1.0
1. Chapter 1

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
  
This is the sequel to my first story, Cosmic Crisis. It is recommended that you read that one first, in order to understand the plot of this one. Thanks!  
  
  
Chapter 1 - The Awakening  
  
  
Natalie sat in her dark room, listening to the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the Capsule Corp. building. It had been 3 months since Orion attacked. On this particular day, she could feel the strange, yet familiar churning in the pit of her stomach. It hadn't hit her since before Orion came. She clutched her stuffed tiger, Vela, in her hands and looked out the window.   
  
  
Somewhere in space, a small planet about the size of earth's moon orbited around a red giant star. There was hardly any life on the planet, as it had been extinguished many months previous. In the middle of a desert-like area hundreds of square miles across, was a small house-like structure. It was dome-shaped, with many reflective panels on the side that reflected the brilliant sunlight. Inside, there were several rooms with very technologically advanced equipment. In one particular room, there was a rejuvenation tank with a control panel on the far wall. Inside, there was an all-familiar, blonde haired warrior. He had an evil grin underneath his oxygen mask as bubbles filled the tank.  
  
  
"Natalie!" a female voice called from downstairs. The girl walked to her door and cracked it, peaking her head outside.  
  
"Yes?" she asked in a groggy tone of voice.  
  
"Time to eat!" the voice called back, and Natalie walked out of the room and shuffled down the stairs. She was wrapped in a blanket and had her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she could see Bulma, Vegita, and Trunks all sitting at the dinner table. She plopped down into her seat and struggled to keep her eyes open.  
  
"Oh, honey. Is your fever getting any better?" Bulma asked, feeling the girl's forehead.  
  
"Dot really." She said, sniffling. She looked down and saw a bowl of chicken soup and a small cup of liquid anti-histamine medicine as well as a fever-reducing pill and a pain-killing tablet. She reluctantly took the medicine, washing it down with the warm soup. Her head throbbed from her sinus congestion and her stomach was so uneasy that she wasn't even sure that she would be able to stomach the soup that night. She noticed that Bra's seat was empty.  
  
"Where's Bra?" she asked stuffily.   
  
"Oh, she's over at Pan's house. They're having a little sleep over." Bulma replied, and served Vegita another steak. Everyone else's plates were full of steaks, potatoes, corn, and rolls. Natalie's mouth began to water as she watched them eat, and then returned to sipping her bland-tasting soup.   
  
"Ugh." She thought. "I hate being sick. It doesn't matter though, it's not like I can taste anything anyway" When they were finished eating, Natalie started to help Bulma clear the dishes.  
  
"Oh, no. You go upstairs and get some rest. I'm fine." She said thoughtfully, and called Trunks over to help the weak girl up the stairs. As Trunks put his arm around her to help her walk, she let out a huge sneeze, wiping her tender red nose with a tissue.  
  
"Excuse be." She said. She and Trunks walked slowly up the stairs to her room. When they entered, she shut the door behind her and plopped down onto the bed. Trunks joined her.  
  
"Having fun?" he joked, punching her in the arm playfully.  
  
"Bore than you know." She said sarcastically. Trunks bent over and kissed her forehead. "It was so awful watching you guys eat all that yubby looking food."  
  
"Heh, you mean yummy?" he joked.  
  
"I know! I can't help it!" she complained. She pounced on Trunks, rolling him off the bed by mistake and landing on top of him.  
  
"Hey, play nice." He said, and jumped out from under her. She got up and sat back on her bed, letting out another big sneeze.  
  
"Ugh!" she cried, rubbing her nose.   
  
"So then I guess you aren't coming tomorrow, then?" Trunks asked.  
  
"Huh? Coming where?" she questioned with a confused look on her face.  
  
"You know, to Goten's house. He's having a party, remember?" Trunks said, looking quizzically at the girl.  
  
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that one. I guess this fever is clogging up by brain."  
  
"So you're going then, huh?" he said, and hopped onto the bed next to her.  
  
"Sure, why dot? Just as log as I feel up to it by toborrow." She said, lying on her back. Trunks picked up her tiger and threw it at her.  
  
"Hey! Leave by Vela alode." She said, and cuddled the animal.  
  
"Well I'm gonna go get my shower." He said, getting up. "I'll be back in a little while." He finished and left the room.  
  
"Great. Dow what ab I supposed to do?" she sighed, rolling onto her stomach. Her head was pulsating like mad, much to her annoyance. "These pain killers better start working sood!" she said, resting her head onto a pillow. She was half-asleep when the door to her room swung open, causing her to roll off the bed in surprise.  
  
"What the - " she said, rubbing her eyes. She looked up and saw Bra and Pan standing in her doorway.  
  
"Huh? Oh, hi guys." She said, lifting her body off of the floor and into the warm bed again.  
  
"We came by to bring you some stuff!" Bra said cutely, and Pan held out a box. Natalie graciously accepted it and peeked inside. There was another blanket, a box of extra-soft tissues, Bra's favorite teddy bear, and a six pack of juice boxes.   
  
"Oh, thank you guys!" she said, and hugged the two girls. They said their good-byes and left to return to Pan's house. Natalie pulled out a juice box and the teddy bear and sat on her bed, drinking. Soon, Trunks walked in with his hair still wet from his shower.  
  
"Hey where did you get that stuff?" he said, picking up the box.  
  
"Pad and Bra gave it to be." She replied, as he took out a juice box and opened it. "Hey! Those are bine!" she said, trying to snatch it away from him. He laughed at her and drank the juice, much to her annoyance.   
  
"Fide." She said, crossing her arms and turning her back on him. She sniffled, and Trunks laughed at her again.  
  
"Awww, is Natalie crying?" he joked with her. She became aggravated and her face turned red.  
  
"Do, by dose is just rudding." She said, trying to control her temper. Trunks put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. She let out an aggravated growl and tensed her body.  
  
"Whoa, what's the matter?" he said, turning to look at her.  
  
"Nothing!" she said, holding Vela in her arms.   
  
"Uh...okay. Well I think I will be going then." He said, getting up off the bed. Natalie turned to him.  
  
"Why are you leaving?" She asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.  
  
"Well you don't seem in the best of moods right now. You should just get some rest." He said. "I'll see you tomorrow." He finished, and left the room. Natalie whimpered in sorrow and fell back onto her bed, grasping her tiger. She eventually fell asleep right there in her clothes, with the light on, but Bulma passed by and turned the light off on her way to bed.  
  
  
Orion twitched in the rejuvenation tank, his body completely healed. The control panel automatically drained the water out of the dome-shaped tank and sent a mild electric shock to him, causing him to awaken. He ripped off the oxygen mask and looked around. Seeing no way out, he blasted a hole in the side of the pod, causing glass to shatter and blow all over the room. He hovered out of the tank slowly, feeling a new power surge through him. He walked over to the far wall and opened a small door, pulling out a set of clothing. As he slipped into the clothes, he walked into a room that resembled a kitchen, taking a container out of the refrigerator.  
  
"Low quality food; but it will have to do for now." He commented, and sank his teeth into a pre-cooked piece of meat. He walked over to a table and picked up a device resembling a scouter. He clicked and pressed on it, causing it to make various mechanical noises. When he was finished, he tucked it into his over-sized pocket and went out the door, shutting everything down on the way out. When he got outside, the extreme heat caused him to sweat as he walked around the side of the dome-shaped building and opened a large panel, shutting off the main generator. When all power was gone, he closed the panel and continued on to the back. On his way, a small pack of 5 creatures, averaging five feet in height, came towards him. Their skin was a variation of purple, with bumps and scars in various areas, but mostly around their eyes. They were wearing robes and loose clothing to protect them from the sun and the blowing sand.  
  
"What do you want?" Orion said harshly, crossing his arms and looking at the group menacingly.  
  
"We make offering." The supposed leader said, holding out a bag made of cloth, filled with various unseen objects. Orion tore the bag out of the alien's hands and held it down by his side. "Please don't punish us, great one." They said, and bowed down in respect.   
  
"But I haven't had any fun yet today." He said, laughing. The alien's became wide eyed and scattered in various directions while Orion merely held out his hand and shot ki blasts at the weak creatures, splattering purple flesh and scarlet blood onto the sand.   
  
"Whoops. I forgot to thank them." He said, and left the scene with an evil grin on his face. He went around the back end of the house and came upon his space pod; the same one he had used to travel to Earth in. He opened the door with a remote control, and stepped inside. It was about three times the size of a normal Saiyan pod, with more features and a greater speed capability. He stepped inside and powered up the pod, causing lights to flicker on all around the ship. The steady hum of the machine was comforting to him. He entered coordinates and other information into the database and sat down, closing the door. He opened the pouch that was given to him and examined it's contents. There were various tools, as well as some dried fruit and meat. At the bottom of the brown bag, a glitter of light caught his eye. He dug to retrieve it, and pulled it out, observing a black crystal fragment.  
  
"Worthless junk." He said, throwing the bag across the pod. He punched a few more buttons and then sat back into the padded seat. He pulled out the scouter-like device, placing it on his forehead, where it automatically sprouted tiny mechanical arms with circular pads on the end. They reached out and attached themselves to his temples and began to glow a faint bluish color. Orion's eyes closed and he fell into a stage of suspended sleep as the pod took off and left the tiny planet's atmosphere, leaving behind a barren wasteland. 


	2. Chapter 2

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
  
Chapter 2 - Adventures at Lakeside!  
  
  
Natalie awoke on the Friday morning to her alarm blaring in the dark room. She sat up groggily and looked around, her eyes getting used to the changes. She fell back down and hit the snooze button while mumbling, "Just five more minutes..." No more than 30 seconds later, the door to her room swung open and Trunks shook her, trying to get her out of bed.  
  
"Come on! You'll be late if you don't get up now!" he said. She just rolled over on her stomach and pulled the covers over her head. "Man if my dad were here I would have *him* do this." Trunks said, ripping the covers off of the tired girl.   
  
"Leave me alone!" she cried, her sinuses finally clear. "I can't go to school, I'm sick."   
  
"But you have those big tests today! You can't miss them, Nat!" Trunks cried, and dragged her out of bed, placing her on the floor. She landed in a heap and looked up at the boy with confused eyes.  
  
"Oh fine. Then get out so I can get ready." She said and shut the door behind him. She got in the shower and turned on the water, which came out cold at first, chilling her. "What tests do I have again?" she thought out loud. "Oh no! French and physics! Man..." she said, washing her hair. When she was finished, she wrapped a towel around her hair and ran to her closet to pick out some clothes. She pressed the talk button on the intercom and spoke into it.  
  
"Trunks! What's the weather supposed to be like today!?" she said in a hurry.   
  
"Uh...warm. Really warm." He said a few seconds later.  
  
"Thanks." She replied, and then returned to her closet and pulled out a pair of boot-cut denim jeans and a short sleeved yellow shirt. She looked around her room for her shoes but found them to be missing. She ran to the door of her room and opened it, calling out to everyone below.  
  
"Does anybody know where my brown shoes are!?" she cried.   
  
"Down here!" Bulma called from the kitchen. She ran down the stairs and grabbed the shoes, running back up the stairs to her room. She wrung out her hair and pulled into a ponytail, tying a white ribbon in it and frantically slipping her shoes on.  
  
She ran down the stairs to get her books, which she had left in the sitting room the previous night. She was on her way out the door when Bulma stopped her.  
  
"Don't forget your lunch!" she said and handed Natalie the brown paper bag.  
  
"Thanks. Gotta go!" she said and ran out the door, heading toward her school. She glanced down at her watch. "8:12! I've gotta make it..." she said, dodging a pedestrian. Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand and jerked her forward. She looked over and realized that it was Trunks.  
  
"Come on!" he said, and flew down the sidewalk with Natalie struggling to keep her feet on the ground. When they finally made it to the school, the first bell had already rung.  
  
"No! Late again!" She cried as they ran into the building. Unfortunately, a hall monitor caught them on their way to class.  
  
"Natalie! Trunks! Let me see your hall passes." The snobby blonde girl said to the two.  
  
"Well...er...we just got here, and - " Natalie was cut off.  
  
"Say, you're pretty cute. I'll let you go this time, but next time you'll get a late pass." The hall monitor said to Trunks.  
  
"What!?" Natalie cried. "What about me? You aren't going to give ME a late pass, are you?"   
  
"Um...yep" the girl replied dryly. Natalie growled out of frustration and tore the pass from the girl's hands and ran off to her French class while Trunks headed to Algebra 2. Natalie opened the door to the classroom and shut it behind her, catching her breath. She looked up as the class all stared at her in silence.  
  
"Natalie! Late again, are we?" The teacher said, folding her oversized arms. Why don't you take a seat in the back next to him." She said, pointing to a brown-haired boy in the back row. "Since he's new, I'll give you the task of showing him around today." the teacher finished. Natalie shuffled to the back of the class and sat down in her seat while the teacher began to pass out tests.  
  
"Hi." The boy next to her whispered. Natalie turned around quizzically and studied him. He was tall and muscular, with brown spiky hair and pale green eyes.   
  
"My name's Ryan." He said. "Yours?"   
  
"N-Natalie." She replied, looking at him curiously. Suddenly the teacher approached their desks and slammed her hand down on the wood desktop. Both teens jumped in surprise.  
  
"Natalie, what am I going to do with you?" he teacher sighed. "You can't even set a good example for a new kid in school." She said, shaking her head in disgust while plopping two tests on either desk. Natalie shot daggers at the teacher's back with her eyes as Ryan produced the infamous anime sweat drop. "Okay class, you may begin with your test. You will have 45 minutes." The teacher said, and then sat down at her desk.  
  
"Hmm..." Natalie thought to herself as she lowered her pen to the paper. "To congregate regular -er verbs..." she thought as she wrote vigorously on the paper, spelling out the present tense forms of French verbs. While she was busy with her test, Trunks sat in Algebra, barely awake. Suddenly, the teacher called on him to answer a question. Trunks' eyes snapped open and he sat up straight.  
  
"C-could you repeat that, ma'am?" he said, trying to regain his composure.  
  
"I said, will you please answer number 42 of your homework assignment?" The teacher said, pushing her curly red hair out of her eyes.   
  
"Uh..." Trunks said, looking down at his paper. "F(x) = (3y - 4x) + (-5 + 12x)?" he answered, looking up at the teacher.  
  
"Well done! Adrienne, please answer number 43." The small, frail woman requested as a girl with black hair and freckles began to recite the answer.  
  
"Whew. I lucked out that time." He thought to himself as he slumped back into his chair.   
  
Meanwhile, Natalie was having trouble writing out a conversation in French. She scribbled down a few more things on the paper and decided to call a quits. When she had finished, she got up to hand her test in, but Ryan was on his way and took it for her.  
  
"Thanks!" she whispered to him. She rested her head on her desk and closed her eyes. "Man I am so tired." She thought to herself. Suddenly, there was a tapping on her shoulders. She was about to swat the person away when she realized it was Ryan. Not wanting to appear rude, she got up and looked in his direction, noticing a folded piece of paper on her desk. "What the - " she thought as she opened it. Inside, it read,  
  
"You seem pretty nice. Wanna hang out later?"  
  
She looked in Ryan's direction, who was flashing a charming smile her way. She couldn't resist and nodded her head sweetly. After about 10 minutes, the teacher grabbed the graded tests off her desk and announced to the class.  
  
"I have graded your tests and will average them into your final grade. Remember that you cannot re-take these unless you have a valid excuse." She said, passing them out. When she came to Natalie, she paused, and then placed the paper on her desk facedown. Natalie flipped it over anxiously and looked at it.  
  
"92! Yes!" she exclaimed rather loudly. "Heh, oops." She said, and sat back in her seat.   
  
"Tres bien ("very good")!" the teacher commented, and continued on to the other students. Natalie leaned over to Ryan's desk.  
  
"How did you do?" she asked.  
  
"Not so good. I got a 65." He sighed. Suddenly, the bell rang for second period and the students scrambled out of the class. On her way out, Natalie was stopped by the teacher.   
  
"Natalie, Ryan is really having trouble with this class. I was wondering if you would tutor him since you are an exceptional student." The teacher explained.  
  
"Sure, Madame Menzie!" Natalie said, and hurried off to second hour. For once, she arrived on time and took her assigned seat. She liked this class, mainly because Trunks was in it as well.   
  
"Alright, class. Settle down. The bell is about to ring!" the teacher said, walking up to the chalkboard. A few other students entered the classroom, Trunks included, before the late bell rang. He sat in the seat in front of Natalie.  
  
"Okay, please take out your literature books and turn to page 243. As you know, we left off yesterday when Mercutio and Romeo were at the party and Mercutio had just finished his Queen Mab speech." The teacher began, as the class turned to the appropriate page. After the students took turns reading passages from Romeo and Juliet, the teacher called on a student to pass out the results of the quiz they had taken the day before.  
  
"Aw, man!" Trunks said as he got his quiz back.  
  
"What?" Natalie asked curiously. Trunks showed her the paper that had a big 70 written in red marker.   
  
When she got hers back, she replied, "Don't worry. I only got an 82." She said reassuringly.   
  
"Thanks, Nat. Makes me feel so much better." He replied sarcastically. She slapped him in the back of the head playfully.   
  
"Quit flirting." Someone called from behind Natalie. She turned around to discover Akari, slumped in her seat, looking at her with a smirk on her face. Natalie glared at the girl with a menacing look in her eyes. "What's the matter, embarrassed?" the girl laughed mockingly.   
"Why should she be embarrassed? At least she has someone." Trunks said to the girl with an annoyed look on his face. The class erupted into a roar of laughter as Akari turned red in the face and snapped back at the two.  
  
"I do have someone!" she said rudely. Suddenly, the teacher slapped his desk with a yardstick, causing the class to jump in surprise.  
  
"Akari! Natalie! Detention!" he said in a loud tone of voice. The two girls sunk down in their seats and offered weak apologies. When the class ended, Natalie shuffled out of the room with her head hung. Trunks ran up and playfully slapped her on the back.  
  
"Trunks!?" she cried in protest.   
  
"Hey! Sorry!" he said. "What's the matter?" he asked.  
  
"You saw what happened in there. I didn't even say anything to her!" she said angrily.  
  
"Hey, I'll get detention too if it will make you feel better!" he said, plastering on a cheesy grin. She just snickered and punched him in the arm as they both walked outside for lunch. They picked a shady spot under an oak tree and pulled out their lunches.  
  
"Oh, I have to go deliver something to a teacher really quick!" she said, pulling out a manila folder and running back into the building. On her way out, she ran into Ryan.  
  
"Hey Ryan!" she said, opening the door, which he held open for her. "When do you have lunch?"  
  
"Now, you?" he answered.  
  
"Me too! Want to sit with us today?" she asked thoughtfully.  
  
"Sure." He replied, and followed the girl to the oak tree where she sat down. As soon as Ryan spotted Trunks he produced a look of surprise on his face.  
  
"Oh, I haven't met your...friend." He said, looking at Trunks with a strange expression. Trunks just looked back with a puzzled look.  
  
"Oh, well this is Trunks. Trunks, this is Ryan." She said. They two teenage boys exchanged glances as Natalie pulled out her lunch.  
  
"So what did your mom pack today?" Natalie asked, peering into her bag.  
  
"Huh? His mom packs your lunch?" Ryan asked with a confused look on his face.  
  
"Oh, um...yeah. My mom...er...left early this morning and forgot to fix my lunch, so his mom gave me an extra." She replied, remembering that nobody knew that they lived together. Ryan cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh." He said, and watched as the two pulled various items out of their bags.  
  
"Don't you have a lunch, Ryan?" she asked, noticing that he was empty-handed.  
  
"Oh, no. I guess I forgot it today." He said.  
  
"Well you can always share with us. Bulma kinda packs too much food." She said, and handed him half of her sandwich, which he accepted. He studied it for a minute.  
  
"What, don't you like turkey?" she asked him.  
  
"Turkey. Yeah, I like it." He said, and bit into the sandwich. When the two finished 20 minutes later, the bell rang for third hour and they went their separate ways.   
  
"See you guys later!" Natalie called out as she ran to her physics class.   
  
  
  
When the school day had ended, Natalie left her last class, sighing with relief. Suddenly, she remembered that she had detention. She reluctantly headed to the detention room, sitting down into a seat near the back of the room. Soon, Akari walked in. As soon as the teacher was about to shut the door, Trunks ran in as well.  
  
"Trunks!?" Natalie said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I was late for fourth hour." He said, winking. Natalie just laughed to herself and pulled out her books, starting on her homework. An hour later, the three were dismissed to go home for the day. Natalie and Trunks walked down the sidewalk, heading for Capsule Corp.  
  
"Thanks for coming to detention today. I would have died if it was just me and Akari." Natalie said slapping him on the back with a grin on her face.   
  
"Yeah well you can thank me later." He said, and looked around to see if anyone was watching, and then leapt into the air. Natalie followed, and her ki flared, leaving behind a trail of blue. Trunks did the same, and the two headed home. When they made it to the Capsule Corp. building, they landed on the rounded roof and sat, looking out to the horizon. A warm breeze blew, making Natalie feel cozy and content. Suddenly, the peace was interrupted when Vegita appeared in front of them with his arms crossed.  
  
"What are you two doing?" he asked. He looked down at the girl who was leaning on his son and glared at her. She looked up innocently and jumped back when she saw the look on his face, almost slipping down the side of the building. Trunks looked at her with a confused expression, and then turned back to his father.  
  
"What?" he asked, looking up at Vegita.  
  
"Well I heard you two 'land', so I figured I'd come and get you. Besides, it's that time of the month for Bulma and I've been trying to avoid her." He said. Natalie burst out laughing and flew to the ground, entering the building, without saying another word to the two. Trunks looked back up at his father with a questionable look on his face and said nothing.  
  
"What!? You know how women are!" Vegita snarled.  
  
"Heh, yep." He said, and landed on the ground with a soft thud. He went into the building, and ran up the stairs, throwing his books onto the bed. He then proceeded to race to the kitchen and examine the refrigerator for anything edible. Natalie appeared behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump and hit his head on the top of the door.  
  
"Hey remember the plan for today?" she said to him. "We are supposed to go to Goten's house, right?"  
  
"Uh...yeah. We are." He said, tossing her a soda. "Why?"  
  
"Well I was just making sure. So how mane people are going to be there?" she asked.  
  
"Just the three of us. Actually, his parents are having some friends over for a little reunion type thing so he was going to invite us along." He said, looking in her direction. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."  
  
"No I want to go, I was just wondering." She said. Bulma came down the stairs as Vegita entered the building.   
  
"We're going over to the Son family's house in a about an hour." She announced. "I want your homework done before we go, mister!" she said, looking over at Trunks with a stern expression on her face. He backed away sheepishly and Natalie followed him up the stairs to the living quarters. When they reached their respective rooms, they both rushed in to do their homework before they left.  
  
"NO!" a scream was heard from Natalie's room. She stood up with her hands on her head, her face red with frustration.  
  
"What!?" Trunks' voice came in on the intercom.  
  
"I left my physics book at school!" she cried, and slumped onto her bed. She dumped everything out of her book bag and searched frantically, but there was no sign of it. She growled angrily and pulled out another notebook and flipped it open.   
  
"Is it really that important?" Trunks' voice was heard again. "It's not like you miss assignments that often anyway."  
  
"I know but I had a lot of work to do in that class!" she said. "That teacher is so strict about that stuff too, even if you make straight A's in there!" she fumed a bit more, and eventually let it pretty much go. She would have to work a lot harder though to maintain her grade in the class.  
  
"Maybe Gohan will have one." Trunks said, this time standing in her doorway.  
  
"What?" she asked, looking at him with question on her face.  
  
"Goten's brother...?" he said, looking at her with one eyebrow cocked. "Remember him? He has plenty of books on that kind of stuff."  
  
"Well...no I don't remember him. But it's cool. I guess I'll see him tonight anyway, huh?" she asked, fishing in her bag for a pen.  
  
"What are you doing, boy?" Trunks spun around to see his father standing behind him in the doorway. "You're supposed to be getting ready, not talking to her." He said, making a gesture to Natalie, who looked up.  
  
"Yeah. Oops." He said, and slunk back into his room.  
  
"And as for you..." he said, looking at Natalie menacingly. She had gotten used to his cold demeanor after awhile and learned to dismiss it. "You have work to do as well. I suggest you get to it."  
  
"Well maybe I would if I had some books!" she said. She was the only one besides Trunks or Bulma who had the guts to talk back to him. She was also the only one that Vegita wouldn't attempt to blast through the wall after doing so. Vegita just grumbled and walked away as Natalie let out a frustrated sigh and shut the door behind him.   
  
"Why is it always ME?" she asked herself out loud. "He hates me and I don't understand why." She sat down on the bed and flipped onto her stomach, resting her head on her hands. She looked out the window at the grayish-white sky. She reminisced on the day's events, and remembering Ryan, thought about his reaction to Trunks. She just dismissed the thought and continued with her schoolwork.  
  
  
Meanwhile, in another part of town, a teenage boy was walking around an empty section of the city with his hands buried deep into his pockets. He had a look of concern on his face, as his pale green eyes flashed. He looked up into the sky and then changed directions, heading to the south side. When he got to what appeared to be his house, he entered the dark home, shutting the wooden door behind him.  
  
He walked up a flight of stairs and headed towards a closed door. He entered the room and sat down onto a chair, still looking preoccupied with something. A gust of wind suddenly appeared, knocking over a garbage can outside. The boy looked up, his green eyes twinkling in the dim light. An evil smile appeared on his face as laughter echoed throughout the house. 


	3. Chapter 3

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 3 - Reunion  
  
  
"Ten minutes!" a female voice called up the stairs. It was Bulma, announcing to the group that they were to leave soon. Natalie finished jotting down a few more notes and then piled her books in the corner, letting out a relieved breath. She went into the bathroom and pulled her ponytail down, rushing the tangles out of her straight brown hair. She could hear Vegita arguing with someone in the other room as she put on a yellow tank top. Yellow was her favorite color next to blue, and it showed. All you had to do was take a look at her room. The door to her room opened and Trunks peered in slowly.   
  
"What?" she asked, and looked in his direction.   
  
"Mom said to bring a change of clothes. We're going to go swimming." He said, and left, shutting the door. Natalie walked over to her dresser and pulled out the second shelf, which was full of bathing suits. She rummaged through the assortment of suits until she came to what she was looking for. It was a yellow and blue plaid bikini with strings that tied in the back and halter strings that went around the neck. She paused before packing it into her bag and thought to herself.  
  
"This is my favorite, but it IS kind of skimpy." She thought, and inspected it. "Oh who cares, I'm sure there'll be other girls there wearing the same kind of thing." She concluded, and threw it into her bag, along with a bottle of sunscreen and a change of clothes. When she was finished, she walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs where Trunks and Bra were sitting. Trunks was wearing a tight, white T-shirt that said "Capsule Corp." on the front in blue letters and a pair of baggy nylon pants in the usual black color. Natalie strongly resisted the urge to stare at Trunks' body. He looked up at her and she snapped back to reality, turning a shade of crimson as she walked over to a chair next to where Bra was sitting and sat down.  
  
"You look pretty Natalie!" Bra exclaimed and jumped into the teenage girl's lap. "I'll bet Trunks has a CRUSH on you!" she said, and looked up at Natalie with an innocent grin on her face. Trunks turned red as well and buried his head in his hands while Natalie strained to keep a straight face. Bulma and Vegita then walked in and observed the two embarrassed teens sitting with Bra and produced looks of confusion on their faces. Bra looked over at her parents.  
  
"Hey daddy! Trunks loves Natalie!" she exclaimed cutely to Vegita. He grumbled and Bulma face faulted while Trunks and Natalie got sweat drops.   
  
"Heh...let's go honey." Bulma said and grabbed Vegita by the arm, dragging him out the front door. Trunks shot Bra a "I'm gonna kill you when nobody's looking" look and got up to join his parents. Natalie and Bra followed, and they all headed towards Goku's house in the Capsule aircar.   
  
  
The door of the Son home swung open, revealing Kamesennin, Krillin, and Oolong with a tote full of sunscreen, towels, and *magazines*, as well as a couple of folding chairs.   
  
"Just in case I get bored!" Roshi said casually to Goku, who was waiting by the kitchen entrance, and walked into the house followed by the 3-foot tall, shape-shifting pig. Chi-Chi emerged with a large tray, loaded with hors d'oeuvres, and told the two to make themselves at home. She glanced at the bag and the thought immediately registered in her mind.   
  
"Mister I suggest you keep those out of sight while the others are here." She said, looking at Kamesennin with a stern expression. He knew better thank to mess with the PMS queen and slid the pile of magazines under his chair. Soon, Yamcha and Puuar arrived, followed by Tien, Krillin, and Chaozu. The group all came together and began to talk, when Gohan arrived. Chi-Chi ran over to hug her son.   
  
"Oh Gohan your father and I have missed you so much!" she said, trying not to cry. Soon, Videl entered the house followed by Pan. They all greeted the three as they set their things down and got refreshments. Pan sat in the corner with nobody to talk to as she listened to the adults converse and laugh together. She was about to burst into tears of loneliness when the Briefs family arrived. She jumped up and greeted her best friend, and they walked off happily together. Vegita and Bulma set their things down and walked over to the living room where everyone sat. Trunks and Natalie joined Goten's side and the whole group stood in Goku's house together. Kamesennin glanced over at Natalie and did a double take when he saw her. Suddenly, he got a nosebleed while staring at the girl's chest. She looked over in surprise and then stepped back in disgust. Trunks and Goten ushered Natalie to another area while Goku helped Master Roshi to the bathroom sink.  
  
"Well you've met Kamesennin." Goten said, placing his hand on the back of his head and laughed dryly. Soon, Yamcha walked over and greeted the three. Natalie had never met most of the people there, and was having a bit of a tough time, socially. She soon met Tien, Chaozu, Puuar, Oolong, Chi-Chi, and Gohan. They were all surprised with her story, and treated her like one of the group. Oolong especially enjoyed her company, and repeatedly tried to get a peek down her shirt.   
  
"Hentai!" She cried and slapped him across the face, leaving a red handprint on his cheek. He backed off for a while, but came back again, trying once more. Everyone got a laugh from the situation and Oolong was finally restrained.   
  
"Well now that everyone's here, let's head to the beach!" Goku exclaimed. Everyone grabbed their bags and left the house. The Briefs family packed into the aircar and squeezed Goten in with them. When they arrived at the lake they got out and headed over to where Goku and Chi-Chi were already waiting. Goku was wearing a pair of swim-shorts in his signature orange color and Chi-Chi had on a purple, one-piece suit. Bulma and Natalie headed towards the Briefs Log Cabin on the hill to change clothes.   
  
"So how do you like the group?" Bulma asked as they headed up the sand. Natalie laughed sarcastically to seal her approval. They opened the stiff wooden door and entered the main room.   
  
"Let's use this room." Bulma said, directing Natalie to a small room in the front of the cabin. It had a large window that faced the ocean. Natalie entered and shut the door behind her.  
  
"Here goes!" she said, and slipped out of her clothes. She put on the yellow and blue suit and pulled a pair of short denim shorts on top of it. When she was finished, she put her clothes in her bag and left the room, allowing Bulma to change. She stood outside the door, holding her bag, when she noticed a rug that hadn't been there before.  
  
"What the - " she said, and went over to inspect it. She stepped on top of it, and heard a shout. She jumped back at least 5 feet and looked up. She saw the rug begin to deform, becoming smaller, but growing a few feet. Soon, it took on the shape of Oolong.   
  
"You're a shape shifter! A perverted one at that!" she cried, and threw a nearby lamp at the pig. It crashed into his head and shattered.  
  
"Ow!" he cried, and scrambled out of the cabin, with Natalie chasing after him.   
  
"Come back!" she yelled after him. Finally, she gave up and returned to the cabin, where Bulma was finishing up. She left out of the room just as Natalie walked up. Natalie facefaulted as she observed Bulma step out wearing a racy, blue and white bikini. Even the bottom piece had to be tied with strings!   
  
"Well let's go!" Bulma said and they both left the cabin. Natalie kept glancing over at the practically naked Bulma and producing a look of shock. She had lived with the Briefs family for about 4 months and had never seen this side of Bulma before. They approached the area where everyone was already standing. Natalie observed Trunks and Goten standing near the shore. Goten was wearing a pair of green swimming shorts and Trunks was wearing navy blue with grey trim and drawstrings. Her jaw dropped when she saw their bodies. Goku waked over to where she was standing.  
  
"Well don't just stand there, go have some fun!" he said, and slapped her on the back so hard that she fell onto the sand. "Heh, heh...oops." He said, and helped her back onto her feet. Bulma approached the group and Vegita blushed when she saw his mate. Master Roshi got another nosebleed and Yamcha's eyes bulged.   
  
"What is everyone staring at?" Bulma asked naïvely. Chi-Chi pulled her away from all the males and escorted her over to a more secluded spot.  
  
"Bulma! What on earth are you wearing!?" Chi-Chi asked frantically.  
  
"What's wrong with it? It was the only one I had clean, anyway!" Bulma replied, placing her hands on her hips.  
  
"Bulma Briefs you know better." Chi-Chi said.  
  
"Well..." she said, blushing. "I just wanted to look nice for Vegita." Chi-Chi produced a sweat-drop and they both walked back to the group.   
  
Natalie walked over to the two boys who had their backs turned to her. Goten suddenly turned around and his jaw dropped when he saw her. Trunks did the same.  
  
"H-h-hi Natalie." Trunks said.  
  
"Hi Trunks. Hi Goten." She said, trying not to stare at them. Suddenly, Vegita appeared behind the group and pushed Trunks into the water playfully. He grabbed Goten's arm on the way and they both sailed into the lake. Natalie jumped back and laughed at the two as they emerged. She removed her shorts, preparing to join them, when Vegita attempted to do the same to her. However, she anticipated it and dodged, just as he moved forward. His inertia caused him to go flying into the water as well. She laughed hysterically at the three soaked saiyans and turned to walk further up the beach. On the way, Yamcha almost smacked into her while he dove to catch a frisbee. He apologized profusely, while staring at her in the process, much to her annoyance. She began to walk onward, joining Bulma and Chi-Chi who were sitting on beach towels, chatting.  
  
"Yeah, and then he had the nerve to eat all of his breakfast and half of mine!" Chi-Chi grumbled in frustration.  
  
"Well at least your husband doesn't find your stash of chocolate bars and eat them all!" Bulma squealed. Chi-Chi stifled a laugh, infuriating Bulma. "What?" Bulma said, annoyed.  
  
"Nothing. It just seems kind of funny that Vegita steals your chocolate." Chi-Chi said, giggling. Soon, Bulma burst into laughter as well and they both sat on the beach together enjoying each other's company. Soon, Natalie approached.  
  
"What's the matter, Natalie? You don't want to go swimming with the boys?" Bulma said, looking up from her magazine.  
  
"No, it's not that." Natalie began. She was about to continue but was cut off by Vegita, who was standing behind her, water dripping off his body and forming a puddle on the sand.  
  
"Trunks wants to see you." He said, folding his arms casually. She gave him a look of confusion and then proceeded to walk over to where Trunks and Goten were standing.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked, still walking toward the two boys.   
  
"We found something here. Look." Trunks said, and gestured to the water. Natalie leaned towards the water's surface to get a better look.  
  
"What? I don't see anyth - " she broke off as she hurled into the waves. "What the -!?" she cried, emerging from the water, pulling a clump of seaweed out of her hair. She looked up to see Trunks and Goten rolling on the sand, laughing. She narrowed her eyes and slunk stealthily back into the water. When she was about five feet away from the shore, she shot out of the water like a bullet and landed on the sand, inches away from the two saiyans, who were now standing. Before they could react, she had them both by the back of the neck and forced them onto the ground, wincing. She smiled evilly as they fell onto their knees and then to their stomachs, begging for mercy. She finally gave in and loosened her grip, retreating back into the water before they could even blink. Everyone was staring in shock and disbelief at the scene. When Trunks finally gathered the strength to stand on his feet, he immediately searched the area for Natalie, intending to get revenge. Goten joined his side and they began to track her ki. The located her and dove into the ocean with swift, graceful moves. The water surged past as they propelled themselves beneath the surface. Natalie obviously hadn't learned to do this using her ki, so they had the upper hand.   
  
Natalie came up to the surface and gasped for air. She scanned the area for any sign of Trunks or Goten, realizing that they were nowhere to be found, and began to panic. She knew that they were hiding, waiting to pounce on their prey like a cat. She tried to sense their ki's, but had not quite mastered the technique and couldn't concentrate while her adrenaline was flowing. Just as she was about to go under again, there was an explosion of water and Trunks and Goten flew out, faster than the human eye could see, and then stopped abruptly in mid-air. The hovered menacingly above the startled girl and grinned evilly. She looked up with wide eyes and yelped when she saw the two. She sank beneath the surface slowly and timidly, not making any sudden moves, for they could easily out-swim her. She considered flying to safety, but realized that they were as fast, if not faster than she was anyway. She sat about a foot under the water, her eyes shut, trying to think of an escape plan. Suddenly, two strong hands shot into the water and gripped her arms just below the shoulders. She knew that it was Trunks and Goten and tried to get away, but it proved no use. They pulled her struggling body out of the water, still keeping a very strong grip on her, for she was known to act on impulse, usually startling everyone with her surprises. But this time Trunks wasn't going to let her get away.   
  
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." Trunks said, mockingly.  
  
"It looks like a little girl. What should we do with her?" Goten said.  
  
"Maybe we should take her some place where she can't cause anymore trouble." Trunks said, and then looked around. He spotted the cabin and got an idea. "There." He said, pointing in the direction of the house. They both took off, with Natalie dangling helplessly behind them. They reached the cabin within 30 seconds, and landed with a thud a few feet away from the entrance. Goten pushed the door open and they dragged Natalie inside.  
  
"Come on guys this isn't funny. Let me go!" she cried, trying to slip her wet arms out of their grasp.   
  
"Who says it's supposed to be funny?" Trunks said, turning his head around to face hers. The look in his eyes caused her to jump back. He almost looked evil. "Now you're not going to give us any problems, are you?" he said, gripping her arm harder and harder until it started to hurt.   
  
"Trunks! Let go, that hurts!" she said, looking at him with fearful eyes. He laughed mockingly at her. She looked to Goten for help, but he also had the same look of pure evil in his eyes. "Goten!?" she cried. He suddenly grabbed her by the neck, this time gripping her harder than she had done to them. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Tears came to her eyes as the feeling shot through her body like electricity. The two let out more laughter. They were actually enjoying this! She tried to look up at them but her neck was paralyzed from Goten's grip. She gritted her teeth and her body tensed under the tremendous amount of pressure that Goten was applying to her neck. Just as she thought her spine was going to snap, they released their grip and let Natalie fall to the ground, gasping for air. She rolled over onto her back and looked up at the two with a red face.   
  
"W-why are you doing this?" she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. Trunks laughed and kicked her sharply in the side. She restrained herself from crying out, and forced herself onto her knees.   
  
"We didn't tell you to get up." Trunks said harshly, and Goten kicked her in the same spot, causing her to fall down again.   
  
"That isn't Trunks." Natalie thought, replaying the sound of his voice in her mind. She suddenly powered up, causing her ki to flare and surround her with a brilliant blue aura.   
  
"What the hell?" Trunks said, jumping back. The surge of power caused the pain to cease, allowing Natalie to jump to her feet. She looked at them with menacing eyes.  
  
"I don't - " she gasped for air. "...know who you are, but I'm gonna kick your ass!" she said, and lunged at Trunks, or whoever it was. Her fist met with his chest and caused him to fly into the wall. Goten reacted by hitting her over the head with a wooden chair, causing her to lose consciousness and fall onto the floor in a heap. Trunks got up and walked over to the girl, picking her up in his arms.   
  
**At this point, I'm going to call the Trunks and Goten we all know and love Trunks1 and Goten1 and the others will be called Trunks2 and Goten2, to avoid confusion. Thanks! ^_^**  
  
Trunks1 emerged form the ocean. He no longer sensed Natalie's ki in the water. Goten1 soon popped his head above the surface, gasping for breath.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.   
  
"She's gone." Trunks1 said, with a worried look on his face. Suddenly, he became aware of it again. He could feel her ki growing immensely in the direction of the cabin. "She must have gone back to the shore while we weren't paying attention. Come on." He said, and dove underwater again. When he reached the point where he could no longer swim in the shallow waters, he leapt into the sky, followed by Goten1. When they landed on the ground, they were about twenty or so feet away from the door to the cabin. "What the? The power is gone." Trunks1 said, confused even more with the situation.  
  
"Let's go check it out." Goten1 said, and walked towards the door. Trunks1 followed. They swung the door open and jumped back in surprise with what they saw.  
  
"What the hell!?" Turnks1 exclaimed, observing an exact image of him and Goten1 standing inside. Trunks2 was holding Natalie's limp body in his arms and Goten2 was grasping a chair.  
  
"Damnit let's get out of here!" Trunks2 said and headed out the back door with Natalie in his arms and Goten2 following close behind. Trunks1 and Goten1 snapped up and followed in pursuit, easily catching up with their other selves. Trunks1 grabbed Trunks2 by the leg, causing him to stop abruptly. His body jolted and he lost his grip on Natalie's body. As she fell to the earth, Goten2 went after her.  
  
"What are you doing with Natalie?" Turnks1 demanded. Goten1 kept a close eye on Goten2, who was hovering in the air a few feet away from Trunks2 with Natalie under his arm. Trunks2 turned around and looked at Turnks1 with menacing eyes, and attempted to punch him in the face. Trunks1 easily dodged and retaliated by putting a chokehold on Trunks2. Goten1 went for Natalie, sending a slender beam flying at Goten2 to avoid hitting her. Goten2 fell off balance and Goten1 caught the wet, unconscious body of Natalie. When he was sure that Trunks1 could handle the situation, he flew back to the ground and raced over to where everyone was gathered.   
  
Trunks1 delivered a painful kick to the stomach of the weaker Trunks2. Seeing that neither of the two had any fighting skills whatsoever, he sent a moderately strong ki blast flying at them. The energy hurled towards the two clones and slammed into their bodies. They both fell to the ground, barely alive. Trunks1 flew down to where the two were lying on the brink of consciousness.  
  
"Where are you from?" Trunks said, with an angered tone to his voice. He had his hand around Trunks2's throat.   
  
"We'll never reveal our origins." Trunks2 said, his voice quivering.  
  
"Damn you! Tell me!" Trunks1 demanded, squeezing Trunks2's neck even harder. The Trunks clone gasped for air as Trunks1 kept his grip around his neck.   
  
"D...d..." Trunks2 said, trying to say something.   
  
'What!?" Trunks1 said, his face twisted in an angered expression.   
  
"Die..." Trunks2 said, and then fell unconscious. Trunks blasted the two out of frustration, vaporizing their bodies instantly. Suddenly he remembered Natalie and raced back to the beach. When he arrived he saw everyone gathered around in a big huddle. He could hear commotion coming from the group and he flew down to where they were standing. He saw Natalie, wrapped in a large towel, lying in a little ball in Goten's lap. She was still unconscious but her body was shivering to keep itself warm. Bulma looked up and saw her son.  
  
"Trunks! What happened!?" she said, her voice full of panic.  
  
"Mom it's okay." He said, stepping closer to Goten and Natalie. "I killed them."  
  
"Killed who? Who did this to her?" Vegita said. Trunks thought he could detect worry on his father's face, but dismissed the thought.  
  
"I-I don't know. They looked exactly like us. They were clones, or something." Trunks replied. He longed to stroke her cheek, to hold her in his arms, but did not dare show his feelings for the girl in front of everyone, especially his father. Suddenly, Natalie's eyes fluttered open and she looked around with confusion on her face.   
  
"Natalie! Say something!" Gohan said, checking her vital signs. Since Gohan seemed to know what he was doing, everyone left him to it. She looked up at Goten and screamed, jumping away from him immediately. Instinctively, Goku grabbed her and calmed her down. When she became rational again, she realized that this was the Goten that she knew.  
  
"O-oh. I'm so sorry." She said, putting her hand over her forehead. "I didn't know - " she broke off.   
  
"Can you tell us what happened?" Bulma asked.  
  
"I don't know. Trunks and Goten...they got me. Not Trunks and Goten, but someone who looked just liked them."  
  
"What did they do?" Bulma continued.  
  
"They were so mean. I tried to fight back but something hit me on my head, and that's all I remember." She said, swaying to the side. Goten grabbed her and laid her back onto the sand to keep her from falling and hurting herself.   
  
"We need to get her back to the cabin." Bulma said. "Then we can figure out what happened and go from there." The whole group made their way back to the Briefs cabin. Goten carried Natalie inside and rested her onto his bed as Bulma came in with Gohan and Vegita.   
  
"Could it have been...Dr. Gero?" Gohan asked, studying Natalie's head injury, much to her displeasure.  
  
"No, he's dead fool." Vegita said in his usual tone.  
  
"Could he have been wished back, possibly?" Gohan continued.  
  
"That's highly unlikely Gohan. Even so, the Dragon Balls still can't be used for another two and a half months." Bulma replied to Gohan's question. Natalie sat up and supported herself with her elbows.   
"Natalie you lay back down, sweetie." Bulma said.  
  
"No, I'm fine. I just have a headache, that's all." Natalie said, and slid off the bed.  
  
"I don't think - " Bulma started.  
  
"It's okay! If I feel dizzy I'll just lie back down again." Natalie insisted, and walked towards the door, still in her bikini. Bulma had put a shirt over her suit to prevent any more of Master Roshi's nosebleeds. Trunks and Goten followed her to the main room, where everyone was chatting, still in their swim clothes. Natalie looked around and noticed that all the fighters had perfect bodies. It made sense to her, seeing what they had been through and how much training they had endured. Everyone was in perfect condition...everyone that is, except Kamesennin. No comments there.   
  
Vegita turned and saw her standing in the doorway.  
  
"Well it's about time you got up." He said rudely.  
  
"Aw, come on Vegita! She didn't mean any harm." Goku said, punching Vegita in the arm.   
  
"Kakarott!" Vegita shouted, and backhanded Goku in the head, causing him to fall to the ground.  
  
"Wow! Look at all the birds!" Goku said stupidly as he reached up and tried to get a hold of one. Soon Bulma emerged with Gohan.  
  
"Well how about we cook out, huh?" Bulma said, putting her arm on her son's shoulder. "Vegita, you and Goku can grill the steaks and me and Chi-Chi will so the rest of the cooking inside."   
  
"What!? I'm not working with him!" Vegita exclaimed and gestured to Goku, who was still lying on the floor. Everyone looked at him with weird expressions on their faces. Natalie diverted their attention by saying, "Well Trunks, Goten, and I are going outside then; we'll leave you to it." She said, glancing at Vegita before walking out the door. Trunks and Goten exchanged glances and followed. 


	4. Chapter 4

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 4 - Night Out  
  
  
Natalie sat on the warm sand, looking out towards the horizon. Trunks and Goten sat near her, carrying on a conversation about school.  
  
"So do you have a better schedule this semester?" Goten asked Trunks, who was lying on his back with his hands folded behind his head.  
  
"Yeah, pretty much. That whole school is easy. I'm glad I convinced my parents to transfer me. And just my luck! They changed the dress code this year. No more uniforms." He replied, staring at the sky. Trunks had switched schools that year after giving his mother a lecture on why it would be good for him (i.e. he wanted to go to the same school as Natalie). He always had to do that with Bulma. Since it was a private school, there was a monthly fee of 500 dollars. Since Natalie had no more family in the area, and her father had left before she was born, Capsule Corp. paid for her fees as well. Trunks knew that she had a hard time dealing with her mother's death. She tended to bury things within herself, instead of accepting them and moving on. He glanced over to where she was sitting. She was facing the ocean, her arms wrapped around her knees, bringing them to her chest. The sun was starting to set, causing an array of brilliant pinks and purples to be displayed in the cloudless sky. There was a slight warm breeze, just the perfect temperature for a day like this. He watched her as the breeze caressed her hair, causing it to brush her soft skin.   
  
"Hey, what's up with you?" Goten said, snapping Trunks back to reality.  
  
"Huh? Oh, heh. Um, Goten...what were you saying?" Trunks said, obviously embarrassed with the situation. Goten smirked at his friend. He knew how Trunks felt about her. Natalie looked over at the two boys and caught Goten's eye.   
  
"She isn't bad." He thought to himself. "I can see why Trunks has a thing for her." Trunks flipped over on his stomach and then got onto his knees.   
  
"Hey let's go somewhere." Trunks said, getting up and brushing the sand off his body.   
  
"Where...?" Goten asked, cocking a brow. They couldn't go far, since dinner would be cooked in thirty minutes or so.   
  
"I don't know. What about you Natalie?" Trunks asked, looking down at the girl. She looked up at Trunks with a content expression on her face.  
  
"Right here is fine." She said, and looked back at the sunset.  
  
"Oh, come on Natalie. You have always liked adventure...don't you want to go?" Trunks said, reaching a hand down to help her up. She accepted it and stood up, followed by Goten. They all headed back to the cabin. When they got there they discovered Vegita and Goku trying to grill steaks while frying themselves in the process.   
  
"No, Kakarott! Don't press that button!" A loud explosion was heard, followed by Vegita's shouts of frustration and anger. The three teenagers exploded into fits of laughter when they saw the singed saiyan prince holding a spatula.   
  
"Dinner's ready!" Bulma cried, and set a plate of steaks at the table.   
  
"Already?" Goten asked, walking towards the cabin.  
  
"Vegita lost his patience and ki blasted the things." She said, sampling a bite. "But he did cook them pretty good." Goten, Trunks, and Natalie all sat down in their respective places. Soon, everyone joined them, all still wearing nothing but swim suits. Natalie observed the mile-high pile of meat and produced a sweat drop. No sooner had everyone sat down that the saiyans filled their plates with food. Bra and Pan did the same, since they too were saiyans, and just because they were female didn't mean they ate any less. When everyone had served his or herself, they began to eat.  
  
"Hey Vegita, these are great. What did you use?" Krillin said, biting into a piece of meat.  
  
"If you don't shutup I'll use it one you, short man!" Vegita grumbled. Krillin muttered something under his breath and continued to eat his food.  
  
After everyone had stuffed themselves to the point of satisfaction, they cleaned up the plates and cups and thanked the "chefs" for dinner.  
  
"Everyone meet back here at ten." Bulma said. Apparently, they were all going to spend the night at the cabin. Trunks, Goten, and Natalie all walked towards the beach, filled with food. They sat on the sand again, this time closer to the water.   
  
"Well I guess there's nothing better to do, huh?" Trunks sighed, plopping down onto the warm sand. The sun was halfway down the horizon.   
"We have the whole weekend ahead of us. Just enjoy the sunset, Trunks." Natalie said, lying down next to him. Goten took a spot next to Trunks and they all lay under the pink and purple sky.   
  
  
Meanwhile, the rest of the group was inside talking amongst themselves while the fire roared in the fireplace.   
  
"Yeah, and then he knocked the jar off the counter and made ME pick up the broken pieces!" Bulma said rather loudly to the group of laughing people.   
  
"Stop talking about me, woman!" Vegita shouted to his mate. She had learned to ignore his outbursts, as they were of his nature. In face, everyone pretty much had learned to disregard most of his flamboyant comments. That was merely his true disposition showing through, although he had improved greatly since Namek. Goku made a comment that caused most of the group to erupt into laughter. Vegita, however, was as red as a tomato and looked as if he were about to explode.  
  
"Calm down Vegita!" Bulma cried, putting her arm around his back. He gritted his teeth and forced his blood pressure to lower.   
  
"Stay calm...don't destroy Kakarott..." Vegita thought to himself. When that episode was over, everyone returned to his or her conversations.   
  
Natalie shifted positions in the warm sand. The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky. She loved the way the sky looked right before the sun would set over the horizon. She looked over and saw Goten leaning to one side with his eyes almost completely closed.   
  
"Goten if you're so tired why don't you go to bed?" Natalie said, breaking the silence and causing the two boys to jump in surprise.  
  
"Nah, I don't want to seem rude." He replied. Natalie was actually HOPING for him to leave so she could spend some time with Trunks, alone.   
  
"It's okay, Goten. We'll understand if you want to leave." Trunks said. "Go on. We'll see you tomorrow."   
  
"Well...okay. I'll see you guys in the morning." Goten said, forcing himself onto his legs. His body was worn out and just thinking about lying in bed caused him to yawn. He trudged back to the cabin and up the stairs to one of the guestrooms that Bulma had laid out for him. Before he could even change out of his suit, he was out like a light. Back outside, Natalie and Trunks were enjoying the scenery.  
  
"Pretty, huh?" Natalie said, leaning against Trunks' warm body. His muscles were firm and his skin was warm and smooth. He leaned his head on hers and they sat, looking out over the ocean on the warm, summer night.  
  
  
Inside, Chi-Chi went upstairs to check on her son while the rest of the group sat in the living room.  
  
"Man I'm spent. Thanks for having us over, Bulma." Krillin said. Bulma nodded while Vegita sat next to her, looking dazed.   
  
"Hey, what's wrong with him?" Yamcha said out loud. At hearing this, Vegita's eyes opened and his head snapped up.  
  
"What was that Yamcha?" he said angrily.   
  
"Vegita control your temper. I don't know what happened, but you've been on the edge lately." She said, running her hand down his back soothingly. Vegita couldn't yell at her, so he just slumped into the sofa. He wasn't used to letting his guard down easily but he figured there was always a first for something.  
  
"Yeah. Sorry." He muttered. Bulma smiled and continued talking. Pretty soon, everyone was on the brink of falling asleep.  
  
"Well I guess we should head upstairs for bed." Bulma announced to the half-awake group. "Yamcha, Tien, Krillin, and Chaozu are in a room. Master Roshi, you are with Oolong. Gohan, you're with your family, and Bra can sleep with Pan if she wants. Goku, you are with Chi-Chi, and Trunks, Goten, and Natalie are together." She said, directing everyone to his or her designated rooms. When everyone had had their turn in the bathroom, the group turned in for the night. Suddenly, Vegita remembered that Trunks and Natalie hadn't come in.  
  
"Where are the other kids? I didn't see them come in." he said, looking out the window at the dark sky.   
  
"They must still be out. They'll come in soon...I know Trunks." Bulma said, slipping under the covers of the king sized bed. Vegita grumbled at the thought of them alone, but chose to keep his mouth shut for then. Soon, all of the lights were out in the cabin and everyone was asleep.   
  
  
Back on the beach, Natalie and Trunks had fallen asleep under the stars. There was a cool breeze blowing off the water, causing them to huddle together subconsciously in their sleep. Suddenly, something caused Trunks to awaken. He opened his eyes slowly, forgetting where he was at first. Then he looked down and saw Natalie leaning on him, fast asleep. He gently shook her awake.  
  
"Huh? What?" she said groggily, rubbing her eyes. "Oh man, did we fall asleep? What time is it?" she asked, looking at the night sky. "The stars are out tonight. They are so pretty to look at without the lights of the city interfering."   
  
"Come on. Let's head back inside." Trunks said. They walked up the shore and over the sand dunes, reaching the cabin after a few minutes. The saw that all of the lights were out, so they entered as quietly as possible. They searched for their room and found Goten, sprawled out on his bed. He was taking up all of the room, and his feet were even hanging off the end. Seeing that there was only one bed left, Trunks offered it to Natalie.  
  
"Thanks. You can sleep here too, just as long as you don't kick me in your sleep!" she said, elbowing him in the side playfully.   
  
"A-are you sure? I can sleep on the floor." He said considerately.  
  
"Of course I'm sure. Come on." She said. She had slipped on a pair of Trunks' boxers over her suit and curled up under the covers. Trunks approached with caution, sleeping so close to the edge that he would surely fall off if he breathed the wrong way. "Trunks will you turn off the light?" Natalie mumbled from under the covers. He rolled out of bed and flipped the switch on the far wall. On his way back, he tripped on the foot of the bed and landed on the unsuspecting Natalie.   
  
"What the!?" she cried, sitting straight up.  
  
"Shhh!" Trunks said, putting his hand over her mouth. He rolled back to his side of the bed and threw the covers over his body. Within minutes, they were asleep. 


	5. Chapter 5

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 5 - Natalie's Injury  
  
  
Goten opened his eyes and looked around the room. Not remembering where he was at first, he sat up, startled.  
  
"Oh man...talk about surprises..." he said groggily and ran his hand through his hair. He glanced over to the bed where Natalie and Trunks were lying. They had both kicked the covers off of themselves and Natalie was lying on her back with her arm draped over Trunks' chest while one of his legs rested on her back, the other hanging off the side. Goten snickered. Suddenly, Trunks awakened as well. He looked around confusedly with a bewildered expression on his face. He then realized the position that they were both in and his face became flushed. Goten laughed at his friend, almost falling off the bed. His laughter awoke Natalie. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she turned red as well and looked at Goten with surprise on her face. The two just sat in their positions, frozen in shock, with embarrassed looks on their faces. Soon, everyone else had awaked throughout the cabin on the bright, sunny morning. Vegita busted through the door, startling the three teenagers. He glanced at Trunks and Natalie and grunted in disapproval. They immediately jumped away from each other.  
  
"I should have known." He said, looking at Natalie with narrowed eyes.   
  
"Relax, Vegita. Trunks was sleeping with me last night. He accidentally tripped on his way to the bathroom." Goten lied, trying to get them out of this one.  
  
"Well maybe you should be more careful about where you land next time!" Vegita said, glaring at his son, and then at Natalie. They both shrugged it off and got up from the floor. They could smell breakfast being started downstairs. The three of them took turns in the bathroom, brushing their hair and washing their faces. They were STILL in their bathing suits from the night before, but so was everyone else, so they didn't mind. Natalie discreetly threw a pair of denim shorts on with a white tank top to cover her torso. When they were finished freshening up, they went downstairs. Pretty much everyone was sitting in the main room, with the exception of Master Roshi and Oolong, who were apparently still asleep. Gohan and Videl were asleep on the loveseat, leaning against each other for support. Pan and Bra were in the corner of the room, comparing Goten and Gohan's hair. Tien, Yamcha, Krillin and Chaozu were sitting on the sofas, trying to awaken. Goku was watching Saturday morning cartoons on the big screen, while Bulma and Chi-Chi cooked in the kitchen. Vegita was scouring the fridge in hope of a snack.  
  
"Vegita! You can wait for breakfast!" Bulma cried, smacking him on the back of the head. He grumbled and walked into the main living area, plopping down onto a chair near Gohan.  
  
"Whoo! That was great. Did you see that Vegita?" Goku bellowed as another roadrunner cartoon ended with the coyote being squished by an anvil...again.  
  
"Shut up, Kakarott." Vegita mumbled. He was determined to make this day as...pleasant...as possible. He wasn't going to let that third class fool get in his way.   
  
"Hey Vegita! Did you see the one where the train coming out of the fake tunnel hit the coyote? Now THAT was a classic!" Goku said while laughing. Vegita took on the appearance of a chili pepper.  
  
"How can this...this FREAK be the strongest warrior in the universe!? Come on, he watches cartoons!" Vegita said, his anger exploding. Everyone sat up in shock, looking at Vegita with annoyed looks on their faces. Feeling cornered, he let it all out. In the midst of all of his ranting and raving, Natalie, Trunks, and Goten managed to slip out the front door.  
  
"Man if we had stayed any longer we would've been fried!" Goten said, rubbing his tired arms briskly to get the blood flowing. They walked along the shoreline, up to their ankles in cool, salt water. Seagulls shrieked overhead and a breeze rustled their hair. They heard a high pitched scream coming from the cabin. "Bulma." Goten thought to himself.   
  
The three of them walked along the beach, enjoying the warm, sea air. After about 20 minutes, they cautiously returned to the cabin, not knowing what to expect as they pried the door open and peeked their heads inside. They observed everyone, draped over the chairs and sofas, fast asleep. All with the exception of Vegita. He looked up at the kids with a startled expression on his face.  
  
"What?" he muttered. Bulma was asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. Natalie and Goten tried not to laugh, while Trunks looked around the rest of the room, observing Goku lying on the sofa, snoring louder than a lawn mower.   
  
"Man what happened here?" he asked.   
  
"What does it look like?" Vegita said sarcastically. He was trying to pry Bulma off of him while attempting not to wake her. "What are you three doing?"   
  
"Nothing really. We came back to see if there was anything planned." Natalie replied. She squeezed in between Yamcha and Goku on one of the sofas and sat down, sinking into the fluffy cushions. Goku mumbled something in his sleep while Yamcha made grunting noises.  
  
"Sure...Bulma. I'll go out with you." Yamcha blubbered in his sleep. "Don't worry, Vegita won't find out..." he continued. Vegita's eyes snapped open and he looked at the sleeping Yamcha in rage.  
  
"Why that -" Vegita started. Natalie, annoyed, got up and sat on the floor to avoid being smacked by Goku in his sleep.  
  
"Come on, let's wake these guys up! We haven't even eaten breakfast yet." Goten said, shaking Krillin's sleeping body. Everyone promptly agreed, walking around the room to awaken the whole group. Vegita shook Bulma off of him and walked over to where Bra was lying. He grabbed her wrist and lifted her up, carrying her over to the sofa where her mother was resting. When everyone had been torn from their sleep, Kamesennin suddenly came bounding down the stairs, seemingly full of energy.   
  
"It's...about time you woke up." Krillin said, so tired that he looked as if he were drunk. Oolong came behind Master Roshi, and together they went outside and headed for the aircar.  
  
"Hey! Where are you going?" Vegita shouted, running after the old man. Before he could reach them, the couple zoomed off, leaving a trail of vapors behind. Vegita slammed his foot into the ground with frustration and went back inside, slamming the door behind him. "Damn fool." He said, falling onto the chair near Natalie. She looked over at him and then slowly inched away. "Have a problem, earth girl?" he said to her with a voice full of hatred.   
  
"Daddieee!" Bra cried, waking up from her sleep. She clung to his shirt and looked up at him with her innocent blue eyes.  
  
"What?" he replied.   
  
"I'm hungry!" she whined. She knew that this was just the way to get whatever she wanted from him.   
  
"What do you want?" he asked.   
  
"Pancakes!"   
  
"I don't think we have any -"   
  
"I want PANCAKES!" she said sternly, folding her arms. Natalie looked down at the girl, hey eyes wide. Vegita grumbled and slipped on his sandals.  
  
"But didn't Master Roshi take the aircar?" Natalie asked.  
  
"Yeah. So?" he said, and shuffled out the door.  
  
"You're not going to walk...?" she said, the three of them following after him.  
  
"You underestimate me, girl." He said, and took off into the sky. Natalie got a sweat drop and hung her head.   
  
"I can't believe he's going to FLY to the store..."  
  
  
Vegita landed in an alley. Making sure that nobody saw him, he walked out onto the busy sidewalk. A stocky guy in his mid thirties bumped into him.  
  
"Watch where you're going!" the man said, preparing to push Vegita out of the way.   
  
"Why you pathetic little -" Vegita said, grabbing him by the collar with one hand and charging a blast in the other. People were screaming and panicking, running around the area like maniacs. The guy shook with fear and closed his eyes, preparing to take the beating. Just as Vegita was about to deliver the blow, someone grabbed his arm and stopped him. Vegita spun around and discovered Trunks, Goten, and Natalie standing behind him. Vegita loosened his grip on the earthling and the guy ran off faster than the cars that were traveling down the road.   
  
"What are you doing here?" Vegita asked. He was obviously angry. Natalie brushed by him and turned the corner.   
  
"Dad, you know you can't make a scene in public like that!" Trunks said.  
  
"You should have seen him! He tried to lay his dirty hands on me!" Vegita said, outraged.  
  
"Well that happens all the time in the city!" Trunks bickered. While the two of them argued, Goten followed Natalie. She had gone into the "International Shack of Pancakes" to get food. Natalie stepped up to the counter, getting the attention of the cashier immediately.   
  
"Uh...yes. M-may I help you?" the teenage boy said, clearing his throat and loosening his collar.   
  
"Yeah. I need fifteen dozen pancakes and four gallons of syrup." She said casually. The guy behind the counter fell over with surprise, immediately regaining his composure.  
  
"C-can you repeat that!?" he said, grabbing his notepad.   
  
"Fifteen dozen pancakes and four gallons of syrup." Natalie repeated. Goten stepped up next to her and shot a reassuring look at the guy.   
  
"C-coming right up." His voice squeaked. A few minutes later, five people on the staff delivered nine boxes, each holding 20 pancakes, and four, one-gallon containers of syrup.   
  
"Uh...that will b-be two hundred and sixteen dollars please." He requested. Natalie pulled a wad of bills out of her pocket and threw it to the counter. She then grabbed a couple of boxes and a gallon of syrup and headed out the door. Goten grabbed the rest of the boxes, and Trunks walked in, grabbing the remaining containers of syrup. When they all got outside, they came upon Vegita.  
  
"I could have handled that myself." He grumbled.   
  
"Relax, we're here to help." Natalie said, and slapped him on the back, harder than usual. He grunted in annoyance and took off into the sky. The three teens followed, reaching the Briefs cabin in less than ten minutes. They made their way through the door and plopped the food onto the table.  
  
"Whew..." Natalie said, wiping her forehead with relief. Everyone rushed over to the table, looks of hunger on their faces. They all grabbed plates and helped themselves to the feast. Goku piled 25 of the cakes onto his plate and poured half a gallon of syrup on top. Vegita and Gohan were next, getting a total of 47 pancakes and using the rest of the gallon of syrup. Everyone else joined in, filling his or her plates to the brim. In the midst of all the eating, Trunks noticed that the aircar was still gone. He dismissed the thought and took a bite of his breakfast. Soon, everyone was full and only a few pancakes remained. Goku let out a humongus burp, startling Natalie and causing her to fall out of her chair. Everyone else burst into laughter, as they all were used to it. Natalie got back onto her chair and sat, annoyed.   
  
Suddenly, Kamesennin burst through the door, his arms full of shopping bags.  
  
"Whoo! What a ride!" he exclaimed. Vegita stood up and approached him.  
  
"Don't ever touch it again, old man!" he shouted.  
  
"Relax Vegita! I brought gifts for everyone." He said, and sat his bags down, pulling out presents for all. He handed Goku a radio for the shower (he likes to sing, ok!?), which he accepted thankfully.  
  
"Alright! Now I'll have something to sing to!" he exclaimed, and made a beeline for the bathroom. Chi-Chi just hung her head in annoyance. Next was Gohan's gift. Roshi gave him a narrated audiotape on how to increase his social life.  
  
"Wow! Thanks Master Roshi!" Gohan said, and grasped his precious gift. Roshi continued to hand out presents. Chi-Chi got a book titled "How to Lead a Less Stressful Life". Bulma got a gift certificate to a day spa and a spare package of chocolates. Vegita got some stress relieving aromatherapy bubble bath. Yamcha got a Pamela Anderson wall calendar. Tien got an inflatable friend, and Chaozu got some more makeup.  
  
"Just what I needed!" he shouted in his annoyingly high pitched voice. Everyone rolled their eyes as the gift giving continued. Krillin received some pajamas with little ducklings printed on them. Roshi handed Videl a fashion magazine (to help with her tacky taste in clothing). Goten got a CD player to drown out Chi-Chi's constant high-pitched screams. Trunks got several shirts that lacked the Capsule Corp. insignia (to his relief). Natalie received a stuffed animal and Bra and Pan got dolls.   
  
"Wow. What's the special occasion Master Roshi?" Goku asked, returning from the bathroom.  
  
"Nothing, really. I just felt like spending some money!" he joked, causing everyone to fall over. "Was it something I said?"  
  
  
  
Later that morning, as people were leaving to return to their homes to continue their daily routines, Bulma exclaimed that they would all have to get together again soon.  
  
Yamcha, Tien, and Chaozu made their way out the front door after saying their good-byes. Yamcha almost ran into a tree while staring at his gift in awe.   
  
"Hey guys! Wait up!" Krillin called, chasing after the three. Soon, only the Briefs and Son families were left.   
  
"It sure was good to see everyone again." Chi-Chi commented, tossing out a bag of trash.   
  
"Yeah. It was nice of Master Roshi to spend his money on us. I'm surprised he didn't waste it all on -" Goten was interrupted as Trunks smacked his hand over his mouth.  
  
"Need I remind you that there are little kids in our presence?" he whispered to his friend.  
  
"Oh. Yeah..." Goten said sheepishly, and cleared his throat. "Well I guess I'll be leaving now..." he continued, stepping outside where Natalie had already gone. Trunks followed and the two friends flew into the air, looking down at the cabin. Carelessly, Trunks smacked into Natalie, who was also in mid-air, causing her to be knocked off balance and fall to the ground. She slammed into the aircar, which was hovering a few feet off the ground. Her inertia caused the car to hit the ground as well. She was lying in the back seat in a twisted position with a look of surprise still on her face.  
  
"Hey! Look where you're going next time!" She yelled up at them. They laughed nervously and hovered away from the scene. Natalie growled with frustration and tried to remove herself from the aircar, failing. She tried to reach up and grab onto the back of the seat for support, but her arm would fail to respond. She tried with all her determination, causing pain to shoot through her arm. She cried out, causing her ki to flare involuntarily, propelling her into the air with amazing speed. She stopped abruptly, realizing that she couldn't move her right arm.   
  
"What the hell?" She shouted, looking around for Trunks and Goten. Failing to locate them, she flew towards the cabin. She stumbled inside, seeing nobody except Vegita in the main room. He noticed her off-center position and eyed her suspiciously.  
  
"What did you do?" he asked.  
  
"I-I don't know! I can't move my arm!" she cried, attempting the impossible once again. Seeing this to be useless, she gave in and fell to the floor in frustration. Vegita walked over and felt her shoulder, searching for breaks or fractures. He pressed a certain spot on her shoulder, causing pain to lurch through her body. She cried out in response.  
  
"I think you fractured your shoulder." He said. "What were you doing to cause that?" Natalie thought for a moment, remembering her "encounter" with the boys.   
  
"I got knocked out of the air by Trunks." She grumbled. She would have folded her arms, but obviously this couldn't be done. The pain increased, causing her to flinch. Vegita called out for Bulma. A few minutes later, the energetic blue-haired woman came into the room.  
  
"Yes?" she answered sweetly.  
  
"Take a look at her." Vegita said, gesturing to the girl. Bulma walked over curiously and inspected Natalie's shoulder. Once again, she pressed "the spot", causing Natalie to jump back in pain.   
  
"Oh, no. That's a definite fracture. What did you do!?" she asked worriedly. Natalie repeated the story to her, causing Bulma to fold her arms in annoyance. "Those boys are so careless!" she cried angrily. She ushered Natalie up the stairs while Vegita flew after Trunks. By the time Bulma got her upstairs, Natalie was on the verge of tears. The pain was almost unbearable. She concentrated her energy away from the shoulder area, trying to minimize it.   
  
"Goku, do you have any more senzu beans?" Bulma called down the hall. Goku popped his head out and observed the staggering Natalie.  
  
"No...why?" he asked, looking at the girl with concern. He walked out of the room and over to where Bulma was standing. "What happened?"   
  
"She fractured her shoulder. Well, Trunks did." Bulma replied.  
  
"Trunks!? How?" Goku asked, surprised. Bulma explained the story to Goku. Suddenly, Trunks and Goten blurred up the stairs to where Natalie was sitting.  
  
"Trunks! What the hell happened here?" Bulma asked with a dangerous tone.  
  
"I don't know! I knocked her out of the air by accident! I didn't mean anything, I swear!" He cried, breathing heavily. Vegita came up the stairs soon after, an angry expression on his face. He had obviously delivered a harsh tongue lashing to his son.   
  
"Well I think you owe Natalie here an apology!" Bulma said, placing her hands on her hips.   
  
"I'm sorry, Natalie! I didn't mean you any harm. You know I wouldn't hurt you on purpose!" he said, reaching out to her. She looked up at him, wincing in pain. "Do you have any senzu beans, Goku?" he asked. Goku shook his head sorrowfully.   
  
"Well unless you want Natalie to sit here and suffer any longer, I suggest YOU go to Korrin Tower and get some!" Bulma said to Trunks.   
  
"I can go." Natalie spoke up. Everyone turned and looked at her with surprised expressions.  
  
"No, no. You stay here while Trunks goes. You just need to rest your arm." Bulma said to the girl.  
  
"I can fly without using my arm! Besides, if I go, I can get a senzu bean quicker because I won't have to wait for Trunks to return." She insisted.   
  
"Well..." Bulma said, looking over at Vegita. "What do you think?" she asked him.  
  
"Let her go." Vegita said plainly. "If she injures her arm any further, it'll be her own fault." Natalie shot him a glare. He never had any faith in her.   
  
"I'll see YOU later then." She snapped at him and walked down the stairs, followed by Trunks.   
  
"Natalie I'm sorry." Trunks said as they headed out the door.  
  
"Whatever. Which way?" she said, hovering a couple of inches off the ground. Trunks stepped back in response to her plain remark. Trunks pointed his index finger in a northeast direction, looking at her with an astounded expression on his face. She took off before he could say any more and he watched her figure disappear from sight.  
  
"Looks like she's mad at you." Goten said, stepping up to where Trunks was standing.  
  
"No kidding. Should we follow?" Trunks asked.  
  
"Yeah. Just stay out of her way ok?" Goten replied to his friend.   
  
"You're coming too, aren't you?" Trunks asked, turning to face Goten.  
  
"I can't. We're leaving in a few minutes. I'll see you later." He said, and walked back inside the cabin. Trunks let out a heavy sign and took off into the air. He sat in the air for a second, locking onto Natalie's ki. Suddenly, a golden aura appeared around his body and he flashed across the sky. 


	6. Chapter 6

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 6 - Visitor  
  
  
Natalie raced through the cloudless sky, looking down as the ground raced below her. Her shoulder throbbed with pain, but she tried to ignore it as she pressed onward. It wasn't the fact that Trunks hurt her that angered her, but that he just left her when it happened. She knew he hadn't meant it, but she was bad about bearing grudges.   
  
Suddenly, she detected a presence close behind her. Her heart raced and she stopped abruptly, looking around for any sign of someone. She saw something twinkle in the distance, coming from the same direction that she had traveled from. She squinted her eyes to try and make out a figure. She soon discovered that it was Trunks following her. She rolled her eyes and folded her arms, waiting for him. When he came within 50 feet of her, he slowed down, and stopped when he was within ten feet. He noticed her glaring at him critically with her green eyes.   
  
"So now you decide to see if I'm okay? Nice timing." She said rudely. His eyes widened from her comment.   
  
"I-I was just going to follow you to make sure you went the right way." He lied.   
  
"You think I'm THAT stupid, huh?" she replied, narrowing her eyes.   
  
Trunks thought to himself. I made a mistake, that's all...  
  
"Yes. I mean, no! No, I don't think you're stupid at all!" he answered. Natalie signed and turned away from him.  
  
"Okay. I'll be going now." She said, and took off again. Trunks raced after her, flying parallel to the girl.  
  
"Natalie don't be angry at me!" he pleaded with her. She ignored him and pressed on. Trunks kept up the pace, making sure that she didn't get ahead. "Natalie?" he said, reaching his hand out to her.   
she thought. His words echoed through her mind. Trunks' hand touched her shoulder softly. She looked over at him and saw the sincerity in his blue eyes.   
  
"Oh, fine. I forgive you, okay?" she said, stopping suddenly.  
  
"Really?" Trunks said, his eyes beaming. "I mean, thanks."   
  
"Yeah. Come on." She said. Her ki flared it's brilliant blue fire and she sped towards Korrin tower, fast enough to baffle the mind, but slow enough to keep her arm from becoming an obstacle for the air rushing by her. After about 30 minutes, Natalie could make out the tower in the distance. Seeing this, she sped up. Trunks followed, and they reached their destination in less than five minutes.   
  
Natalie landed softly on the ledge that led to Korrin's lair. Trunks landed next to her and walked inward. Suddenly, a white cat-like animal holding a wooden staff poked his head from around a corner.  
  
"Trunks! What can I do for you today?" he said, looking over at Natalie. "And who is this lovely lady? Your girlfriend?" he joked. Natalie's face became flushed in an instant. Seeing this, Korrin exploded into laughter. Natalie smirked and spoke up.  
  
"Are you Korrin?" she asked.  
  
"Why yes I am. What have you come all the way out here for?" he asked.  
  
"We need a senzu bean." Trunks interjected. "Natalie fractured her shoulder."  
  
"You mean YOU fractured it." She interrupted.   
  
"Oh, come on. Don't start that again!" Trunks cried in protest. Korrin looked on at the arguing couple with a sweat drop.  
  
"Come now. You two sound like Bulma and Yamcha!" Korrin blurted out.  
  
"What? Bulma and who!?" Natalie said, stunned.  
  
"Heh heh...did I say Yamcha? I meant Vegita!" Korrin said, placing his hand on the back of his head and producing a ridiculous grin.   
  
"You know what you said! What ABOUT Bulma and Yamcha?" Natalie pressed.  
  
"They used to date." Trunks said. Natalie spun around to face him, her eyes wide.   
  
"They what!?" she said, and erupted into laughter. Trunks rolled his eyes and looked over at Korrin with a desperate expression.  
  
"Anyway, Korrin, do you have a senzu bean or not?" Trunks asked.  
  
"I do." Korrin said, and pulled out a small brown bag from the unseen regions of his fur coat. "Here ya are. That will be 200 dollars." Korrin said, handing the bag to Trunks.  
  
"What!?" Trunks cried. "But I didn't bring any money!"   
  
"Just kidding!" Korrin said, laughing at the baffled Saiyan.   
  
"Man, Korrin. You're as bad as Kaio-sama." Trunks said, and walked over to Natalie, who was still laughing. "Here." He said, handing her a senzu bean. She stopped laughing and accepted the gift, inspecting it with her large, green eyes.  
  
"Just eat it." Korrin said. "It tastes like candy."   
  
"Oh no it doesn't! I've had these things before!" she said, looking up at the cat. "Oh well. It's for a good cause." She said, popping it onto her mouth and chewing it. Suddenly, her shoulder healed itself and was back to normal. "Wow, these things are great!" she exclaimed, finishing off the remains of the seed.   
  
"Glad I could be of service." Korrin said.  
  
"Thanks Korrin. We really have to be going." Trunks said.  
  
"No, I insist you two stay. I just made some of my Yederan Stew." Korrin said.  
  
"Yederan stew!? We're outta here!" Trunks said, grabbing Natalie by the arm and rocketing out of the tower.   
  
"Gullible little Saiyan." Korrin laughed to himself.   
  
  
Trunks and Natalie sped across the sky, away from Korrin Tower. Natalie was still being dragged along by Trunks.  
  
"Whoa! Where's the fire?" she cried. Trunks looked back at her, preparing to slow down.  
  
"Oh, sorry." He said, letting go of her arm.  
  
"Hey, no problem. Saves me the energy." She said, and then joined Trunks on the journey back. Her shoulder felt better than it had before she fractured it. Those senzu seeds were really impressive.   
  
They reached the cabin in half an hour, landing on the warm sand simultaneously. The walked inside and saw that nobody was on the main floor.  
  
"Mom? Dad?" Trunks called throughout the house. Seeing that nobody answered, they walked upstairs to search for someone.   
  
"Hello?" Natalie called down the hall while looking in all the rooms. "That's weird. You think they would have at least left a note or something." She commented.  
  
"No, they're not really like that. They tend to be 'spur of the moment' type." Trunks said to her.   
  
"Oh?" she asked, turning to him. "Well nobody is here, obviously. What are we going to do now?"   
  
"Just sit and wait I guess..." Trunks trailed off.  
  
"Yeah right, Trunks! If there's one thing you'll never see me doing it's gotta be sitting around boring myself to death." She said, crossing her arms. She walked into her room and slipped out of her shorts and tank top, revealing the bikini underneath, then ran back downstairs and out the door. Trunks sighed and took off his shirt and shoes, leaving him in his swimming shorts. He followed the girl outside, where she was already heading for the water.  
  
"Come on!" She shouted back at him. Before he could reply, she dove into the water. She came to the surface and floated on her back, looking up at the sky. "Ah, this is the good life. Nothing on your mind but sand and sea." She said, letting out a sigh. Suddenly, something grabbed her from underneath. Before she had a chance to scream for help, she was submerged in water. She swung her arm around, impacting it with something hard. She returned to the surface and took in a huge breath of air.   
  
"Trunks!" she cried, looking around for him. "Trunks!?" she called frantically. She noticed air bubbles rising to the surface. "Oh shit!" she cried and dove underwater, grabbing onto the limp body and pulling it about the water. "Trunks! Don't tell me I knocked you out!" she cried, dragging him to shore. "Oh I can't believe I was so careless!" she said, putting her head on his chest to check for breathing. "What the-" she said, looking down at him. "He's breathing...but -"  
  
"SURPRISE!" Trunks shouted, sitting straight up. He frightened the girl so much that she fell backward.  
  
"Damnit Trunks don't ever scare me like that again!" She shouted, hitting him in the chest.  
  
"Sorry!" he said sheepishly. "I was...just checking to see if you knew CPR." He said.  
  
"Why...?" she asked wryly.  
  
"Um...in case I REALLY needed it." He replied with a cheesy grin on his face.   
  
"Yeah right. Well you can sit here on the shore while I go have fun then." She said, and ran back into the water. She swam near the floor of the ocean, causing the sand to occasionally brush up against her body. Trunks swam up beside her, pushing her aside mockingly as he sped up, passing her.  
  
Natalie thought to herself. and with that, she used her ki to propel her though the water, just as she did when she would fly. she thought as the water surged past her. She caught up with Trunks, surprising him. They both returned to the surface for air.  
  
"Hey, you got the hang of that quickly." Trunks said, filling his lungs with air.   
  
"And that surprises you?" she said, smirking at the saiyan boy.  
  
"Well actually...' he said, teasing her.  
  
"Hey!" she cried, pushing his head underwater. He retaliated by grabbing her leg and jerking her under. She floated to the surface where Trunks was laughing at her and spit out a mouthful of water in his face.  
  
"You're too easy." Trunks said, still laughing. This annoyed Natalie, who punched him in the arm in response. She then dove under and shot back towards the shore. She pierced though a school of fish, causing the fish to spread out in all different directions to avoid her. Unfortunately, some of them weren't fast enough and went down her suit. Natalie shrieked under the water and shot above the surface and into the air on reflex. She looked down and saw fish wriggling about in her swimsuit, trying to get free. She screamed and jumped about frantically, trying to remove the fish from her swimsuit, while Trunks watched on and laughed hysterically. When all the fish had slipped back into the ocean, Natalie turned and glared at Trunks.  
  
"So you think that's funny, huh?" he shouted at him. Trunks just backed away like a frightened child while Natalie charged a ki blast and hurled it towards him, hitting the target dead on.   
  
"Bulls eye!" She cried victoriously. Trunks looked up at her, his hair singed and his face scorched. He appeared to have been baked in an oven. She took one glance at him and laughed so hard that she fell back into the water by accident. When she returned to the surface, she noticed that Trunks was nowhere in sight. "Oh crap!" she cried and shot out of the water faster than they human eye could see. She looked back and saw Trunks shoot out of the water after her. She squealed and fled so fast that she was afraid her suit would be peeled off her body. She flipped in the air and did several loops for fun. When she looked back to see if Trunks was following her, she slammed into a brick wall and fell into the water, dazed. She came to the surface, choking on water and gasping for air. She looked around and saw that the brick wall was actually Trunks. He floated in the air with a surprised expression on his face. Natalie hovered into the air rather slowly, trying to catch her breath. She flew to the shore and slumped onto the sand, still trying to cough up seawater. Trunks flew over and joined her.  
  
"Sorry." He said.  
  
"That's twice you've done something like this to me today." She said. When she finally caught her breath and stopped coughing, she sat on the sand and looked out over the horizon.  
  
"Tired of swimming?" Trunks asked, sitting down next to her.   
  
"I guess you could say that. Let's go back." She said, getting up and heading into shore. Trunks followed her and they went inside, running up the stairs and towards their separate rooms. "I call shower first!" Natalie cried, running into her bathroom. Trunks grumbled and went into his room, slumping onto the floor to wait. He tried to lock on to his dad's ki to locate his whereabouts, but he had obviously pushed it down to keep it concealed.   
  
Natalie finished, 20 minutes later, and stepped out of the steam-filled bathroom.   
  
"Man that feels better." She said, taking a deep breath and falling onto her bed. She had a towel wrapped around her hair to soak up the extra water. She lied back and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of her bed. Suddenly, the door to her room swung open, letting in a draft of colder air. She sat up in annoyance. "Don't you know how to knock?" she asked, looking up at Trunks.  
  
"Oh, come on Natalie. It's not like you were in a towel." Trunks said, leaning against the wall and folding his arms, just like Vegita always did.  
  
"Well you didn't know that until you came in!" she replied, sitting up.  
  
"Man, I'm sorry then." Trunks said, shutting the door behind him on his way out.   
  
Natalie thought to herself as she fell back onto her back. She looked up at the ceiling, thinking about her reaction, when something hit her like a ton of bricks. She sat up, wide eyed, and looked around the room frantically. Her stomach churned and her head pounded tremendously. "Ow, ow, ow..." she said softly, placing her hand over her forehead. "It's that stupid headache again!" she said. She willed it to go away, but nothing happened. She sat on her bed, holding her head in her hands, her face twisted in pain. "This feels just like the pain I got from -" she broke off. "It couldn't be...Orion is dead..." she said, her eyes wide with fear. "Oh I'm just imagining it. Orion couldn't possible be causing this." She said aloud and dismissed the thought immediately. A few minutes later, when the pain had subsided, she got up from the bed and went into the bathroom to dry her hair. As she ran a brush through it, she remembered her encounter with the Trunks and Goten clones the previous day.   
  
she thought, trying to figure out the source of all the confusion. she wondered. When she was done with that, she walked out onto her balcony and looked around, still seeing no sign of Bulma or Vegita. Bra was also gone, but Natalie figured she was with Pan anyway. She went back inside and put on a pair of jeans and a white tank top, and went downstairs to throw the towels in the laundry room. When she spun around to return to the second floor, she smacked straight into Trunks.  
  
"What the -!" she cried, jumping back in surprise. She looked up and saw an equally surprised expression his face.  
  
"Man Natalie. You sure know how to scare yourself." Trunks said jokingly. Natalie didn't see the humor in the remark and continued to look horrified. "What?" Trunks asked with a questionable tone. He followed her glance and turned around, seeing his father standing over him.  
"What are you doing boy?" Vegita asked with a scowl on his face.  
  
"Nothing. I'll be going now. Trunks said sheepishly and retreated up the stairs. Vegita glanced over at Natalie. "And you?" he repeated.   
  
"Why do YOU care?" she said, crossing her arms. Vegita was taken aback.  
  
"Excuse me?" he said, almost shocked at her remark. "How dare you talk back to me!" he shouted and slapped her across the face with incredible force. She regained her composure and looked up at him with such an expression on her face that she burst into tears. He had never hit her before.   
  
"W-why?" she said, her voice quivering. She had a knot in her throat and found it incredibly difficult to speak.   
  
"You deserved it, girl." He said and shoved her backwards.  
  
"Stop!" she cried, becoming enraged. Instead of fighting back, she shot into the air and raced towards the door. Vegita appeared in front of her and caused her to slam into his chest. Intending to get out, she pulled her hand back and snapped it forward, sending her fist flying into Vegita's chest.   
  
"Don't ever touch me again!" she cried and fell to the ground, running out the door and shooting back into the air outside. She looked back to see if he was following, and indeed he was. she thought. Vegita pursued as Natalie's heart beat faster and faster. Suddenly, it came to her.   
  
Natalie whizzed around and thrusted herself into Vegita, causing him to fly backwards.   
  
"Who are you!?" she shouted to him, or whoever he was.   
  
"You know who I am stupid girl." He replied, flying toward her, intent on hitting her again. This time, she counter-attacked, sending a ki blast into his chest, knocking him back even more. Before he could level himself again, she was flying towards him, sending her foot straight into his stomach. He cried out in pain, grabbing her by the ankle and hurling her towards the ground below. She stopped herself in mid-air and came back, attempting to punch him in the chest, but he blocked it and hit her in the jaw instead, sending a wave of pain through her. She forced herself to go in for more, continually beating on his body until he began to tire. Seeing the weakness, she erupted into a mass of energy and fired rapid blasts at him. She managed to get a couple of hits in, but he had blocked most of the others. She continued to power up even more, raising her ki drastically. She couldn't sense a ki in him, so she assumed that he was hiding it. She performed an Akiyah-meh on him, managing to hurt him substantially. Right as she was about to go in for the kill, the REAL Vegita showed up.  
  
"What the hell is this!?" he shouted, looking at his clone with a lethal glare. Vegita 2 glanced back, looking fearfully at Vegita 1. He grabbed Natalie's wrist and took off, leaving a trail of vapors behind him. "Why that little..." Vegita 1 trailed off and rocketed after the two. He caught up quite quickly and observed Natalie desperately trying to escape his grip. He merely sat back and watched as she used her energy in attempt to free herself. She screamed and fought like a trapped animal, still unable to budge. Vegita 1 soon realized that sitting back wasn't helping and charged Vegita 2, knocking him backwards. Unfortunately, he was still holding on to the girl and she flew back with him. Vegita 2 turned around in surprise and then flew away from the area so fast that Vegita had a hard time sensing it. He could still feel Natalie's ki and followed it, traveling quite fast himself. He caught up again, but didn't use energy in fear that he would hit Natalie. He shouted obscenities at the clone, having no effect, however. Natalie was still struggling as the clone carried her away from the city. With no way out, Vegita powered up and sent a blast flying towards Vegita 2, narrowly missing him. Cursing at his failure, he tried again, this time catching his arm. Vegita 2 cried out and gripped Natalie's wrists tighter, causing her to cry in pain as well. Natalie managed to get one hand free and began to beat him with it. She punched him dead in the face, causing him to lose his grip on her other wrist. Natalie jumped away from the clone and powered up immediately, going in for the kill. She used both hand-to-hand attacks as well as ki attacks. Vegita 1 caught up and joined in, kicking Vegita 2 in the back of the head. They both fought the replica, managing to get some good hits in. Then, to deliver the final blow, Natalie and Vegita 1 sent a twin ki blast attack at their attacker, sending him into oblivion. His ashy remains floated to the ground as Natalie bent over to catch her breath. She had a few bruises on her body and her lip was split, but otherwise she was okay.   
  
"T-thanks..." she said, breathing heavily. She looked up to where Vegita stood, arms folded and dirt on his face from the battle.  
  
"You okay?" he asked. She was surprised that he even bothered to ask.   
  
"Yeah. I'll be fine." She replied, and looked over to where the clone had once sat, attacking the two. "There's something going on." She said, referring to the recent incidents. "We need to find out."  
  
"Come on." Vegita said, and headed back to Capsule Corp., not even bothering to look back. Natalie hastily followed, and they both reached their destination in five minutes. When they walked in the door, Trunks was waiting with a dumbfounded look on his face.   
  
"What the -?" he said, looking at the two battle-worn fighters. Vegita grunted and headed for his room to clean up. Trunks immediately ran to Natalie, putting his arm on her shoulder. "Are you okay!?" he asked worriedly. She brushed some blood off her lip and looked up at him, smiling.   
  
"Fine. We need to do some investigating." Natalie said simply. Before Trunks could answer, she was up the stairs.   
  
"Wait! What did you mean by -" he broke off. Natalie spun around and looked him in the eye.   
  
"There's something after me, Trunks." She said fearfully. "And I'm scared to death." Trunks longed to reach out and comfort her, but he was confused about what to do. He saw the frightened look in her eyes and felt sorry for her. She had been through more than he could even begin to imagine. What did everyone want from her?   
  
"Look, Trunks. Don't worry about me, okay?" she said and brought her lips to his, kissing him softly while Vegita stood on the balcony, watching them with an angry look on his face. 


	7. Chapter 7

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 7 - The Brink of Death  
  
  
As evening set over the Capsule Corp. building, Natalie and the others were busy formulating a plan.   
  
"But we still don't know where they came from. Dr. Gero is dead. Besides, if he were alive and creating androids, they would at least have some kind of fighting ability." Trunks said, looking deeply concerned. Meanwhile, Natalie didn't even know who Dr. Gero was.   
  
"Well they seem to want something with the girl." Vegita sighed, folding his arms, looking over at Natalie.   
  
"Who's Dr. Gero?" she inquired.   
  
"Oh, he's dead now." Trunks replied. "But he used to make androids with unfathomable fighting strength and power. You haven't met Krillin's wife, but she's an android." Natalie looked at him with surprise.   
  
"She's an android? Then how -?" Natalie broke off.  
  
"She was based on a human model, don't worry. She isn't a hunk of nuts and bolts."   
  
"Oh." Natalie said simply. She looked as confused as ever, sitting back in her chair, staring into space. Everyone glanced over at her at once, startling the girl. "What?" she asked with an innocent look on her face. Trunks pulled a Kamesennin and looked her up and down, much to her surprise. Vegita and Bulma began to converse on the side, discussing a plan of action.   
  
"Well if you hadn't disintegrated it, maybe I could do an anatomy readout and find out where they come from!" Bulma shouted at her husband. The two were always arguing. Natalie and Trunks discreetly left the room, as they were tired of hearing the couple shout at each other.   
  
"Trunks let's go out!" Natalie suggested, suddenly full of energy.  
  
"Okay..." he said, looking at her with an eyebrow raised.   
  
"Come on! It's not like there's anything better to do HERE." She said and grabbed his hand to lead him out the door. The couple raced down the sidewalk, heading towards the city. The girl was practically dragging Trunks behind.  
  
"Wha-what's your hurry?" Trunks cried. Natalie turned her head to smile at him, when she ran into something. They both fell to the ground, dazed. (Sound familiar?)  
  
"Natalie?" a voice said. She looked up and observed Ryan standing over her. "Whoa, nice running into you." He said, and helped her up off the ground. Trunks helped himself to his feet, looking at the boy questionably.   
  
"Ryan! What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.   
  
"Well I was about to ask you the same question. Where are you going?" he inquired. "Because...if you're not busy, I was wondering -"  
"I'm heading to the city with Trunks." She said. "Wanna come with us?" Ryan eyed Trunks suspiciously.  
  
"Oh. No, that's okay." He said, turning to leave. "I'll see you at school." Ryan finished and hurried down the street.  
  
"Well he was in a hurry." Natalie commented, turning to Trunks.  
  
"There's something strange about him." He said, folding his arms Vegita-style.   
  
"Oh, don't get jealous Trunks!" she joked, jumping on his back like a little girl.   
  
"Hey!" Trunks cried in protest. "I'm not jealous." He said, shrugging Natalie off of him. She backed away defensively.  
  
"Hey, excuse me! I was just kidding anyway." She said and continued down the sidewalk towards the city. Trunks followed, catching up with her quickly. When they reached the metropolis, they streets were buzzing with people trying to go about their daily lives. The streets were so crowded that Trunks and Natalie were having a tough time staying together. Suddenly, they both heard loud gunshots followed by terrified screams. People began to panic and run in every which way, almost trampling the helpless teenagers. She scrambled to safety in a nearby alley, frantically searching for Trunks. She could see dozens of frightened people hurl past her, trying to save their own lives. She exited the alley to look for him but he was nowhere to be seen. Worrying about his safety, she ran into the street to try and get a better view. Still yet to locate his whereabouts, she turned to head in another direction when a bullet whizzed by her head. Startled, she cried out in fear, no knowing what to do. She didn't want to reveal her powers in public, yet she knew no other way out. She was about to run in the opposite direction when someone pounced on her, pushing her to the ground and knocking the air out of her lungs. She hit the pavement with great force, causing her to gasp in pain, yet no air would come in. Seeing no other alternative, she powered up and forced her ki outward, throwing the person off of her body with tremendous speed. This caused even more panicking, making the situation worse. She struggled to her feet, intending to find the person that jumped on her. She turned in the direction that he flew, seeing a dark figure in the alley across the street. Knowing that she could take him on, she approached. She poked her head around the corner to get a closer look, but the figure was gone.   
  
"What the -?" she said, greatly confused. Suddenly, something hit her from behind and forced her into the alley. She spun around in a defensive stance, preparing to attack. She looked up to see who was trying to hurt her, when she fell back in surprise. "Goku!?" she cried, greatly alarmed. "What are you doing?"  
  
Goku came towards her with a menacing look on his face. She backed away, her heart beating so hard she was sure he could hear it. Suddenly he lunged towards her and pinned her against the ground, his face mere inches away from hers. Her instinct suddenly took over, causing her to power up in sudden bursts of energy which sent Goku flying backwards into the brick wall. She immediately sprung to her feet and charged toward him, intending to slam her fist into his chest. Unfortunately for her, he dodged, and her fist met with the brick. She cried out in pain, grasping her hand. She looked up at Goku, who was preparing to attack her again. This time, when he leapt for her, she stuck out her leg and kicked him in the stomach. While he was down, she took the opportunity to bring her fists crashing down on his back.  
  
Suddenly, Trunks appeared in the alley and observed Natalie and Goku fighting.  
  
"Natalie! What are you doing!?" Trunks shouted, obviously confused with the situation. He rushed over and pried her off Goku's back, getting elbowed in the side mistakenly.   
  
"Trunks let go! This isn't Goku!" she cried, struggling to get free. Trunks soon realized that it was probably another clone, and set the girl free. Unfortunately, Goku was already coming at them. He shot his fist into Natalie's stomach, causing her to stumble back into Trunks, sending them both crashing to the ground. The clone continued to beat on the girl who was desperately trying to get herself off of Trunks. He kicked her sharply in the side, breaking on of her ribs. Natalie screamed in pain and coughed up some blood. Trunks managed to get out from under the girl, and stood up, ready to fight. He looked down at the coughing, bleeding Natalie in horror. This enraged Trunks, who went Super Saiyan and lurched towards the clone. His fist met with Goku's face, sending him flying backwards. Trunks shot a powerful ki blast in his direction, hitting its target dead on. When the smoke cleared, Goku was still standing.  
  
"That's impossible!" Trunks cried in surprise. Goku sprinted towards Trunks, who easily dodged. Suddenly, he realized that Goku was heading for Natalie. The clone leaned menacingly over the girl, who was on the brink of consciousness. He scooped her up in his arms and took off for the sky. He landed on top of a building, holding Natalie in his arms. She was trying to get free, but failed as a result of her weakened body. She looked up at him, her face stained with her own blood. Seeing no other choice, she weakly lifted her arm, placing a finger on Goku's forehead.   
  
"Akiyah..." she whispered. Her fingertip began to glow brightly, much to Goku's surprise. He looked down at her with a bewildered expression on his face. With a final burst of energy, she concentrated all of her power into her hand. Her body began to grow numb, and she muttered her final word. "...Meh!"  
  
It was all in slow motion. Goku dropped her body like a hot coal, but it was too late. The energy erupted into a massive explosion, engulfing the entire building in its fiery brilliance, surging outwards like a thermonuclear explosion. The Goku clone screamed in terror, his very flesh being incinerated before his eyes. Trunks was still in the alley, watching in amazement as the power billowed above him. Seeing it rush towards him at neck-breaking speed, he held his hands over his head and cried out, forming a ki shield around his body. No sooner than he had done that, everything around him was vaporized instantly. He shot towards the top of the building, observing Natalie's body emitting a tremendous amount of energy. The Goku clone was screaming in pain and terror, as he was not quite dead yet. Trunks ran for Natalie and held her head in his hands. She was limp, not moving or even breathing. He panicked, not knowing what to do. Energy was still exploding from her body, surrounding the whole building in its deadly grip.  
  
"Natalie!" Trunks cried, shaking the girl's limp body. "Wake up!" Seeing this to prove useless, he locked his ki onto hers. He felt a tremendous surge of power, knocking him back. He struggled to keep the energy under control. Finally, with one final move, Trunks exploded his ki, causing hers to subside. When the dust settled, Trunks was seen covering Natalie's body with his, breathing heavily. He looked around, seeing the remains of the Goku clone lying nearby. He knew that the reporters would be here soon, so he grabbed Natalie and Goku and took off for Capsule Corp. faster than anyone could see. His ki was completely exhausted from the battle. He looked down at the girl, seeing a trail of blood running down her chin. He sped up, reaching the Capsule Building in less than five minutes. He burst through the door, carrying the two bodies in either arm. Vegita emerged from the kitchen, producing a look of shock on his face as he observed his son carrying two limp bodies in his arms.  
  
"What the hell happened here!?" he shouted, rushing over to the three. Trunks was still trying to catch his breath. Vegita could sense that his son's power was completely gone, as well as Natalie's. He looked them over, locking his eyes on the beaten Goku clone. "Woman! Get in here!" Vegita shouted to his mate. Bulma came out of the room, crying out in surprise when she saw the sight. She ran to Vegita's side, looking absolutely terrified at the scene.   
  
"Wh-what the -?" Bulma tried to speak, but no words would come out. Bra came bounding down the stairs joyfully but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her brother holding two unconscious people in his arms. Trunks looked absolutely worn.  
  
"We -" Trunks started.   
  
"What? What is it?" Vegita asked, stepping forward.  
  
"We need...help..." he finished, and fell to the ground. Bra screamed and ran up the stairs with Bulma following after her. Vegita ran as fast as he could towards his son. He felt Trunks' neck for a pulse and found one. He sighed in relief and picked him up, taking him to the medical wing. Natalie and Goku were still left lying in the foyer.   
  
Vegita placed Trunks into rejuvenation tank and switched it on. The tank filled up with water and attached an oxygen mask to his mouth, followed by two wires with round pads on the end attaching to his temples. When the setup process was complete, Vegita returned to the foyer for Natalie. He felt for a pulse on her as well, but found none. Alarmed, he put his head to her chest to listen for breathing or a heartbeat. There was still nothing.   
  
"Oh hell! WOMAN!" Vegita shouted. His voice echoed through the building. A few seconds later, Bulma appeared.  
  
"What is it? I'm trying to calm down out daughter!" she cried, angry for being disturbed.  
  
"The girl! Her heart isn't beating!" Vegita said worriedly. Bulma's eyes widened and she ran to Natalie's side, checking her vital signs (or lack thereof).   
  
"Oh god! We need to get her to the medical wing ASAP!" she cried. Vegita grabbed Natalie under one arm and Bulma under the other, fading out and then reappearing in one of the emergency areas. Vegita placed the girl onto a table while Bulma prepared the machines. "She's in cardiac arrest! If we don't get her heart beating she'll die!" Bulma cried, trying to keep herself rational amidst all the panic of the situation. She pulled two wires from a machine on the wall, each with round pads on the end, similar to the ones in the rejuvenation tank. She then placed them on Natalie's temples and switched on the machine.  
  
"What are you doing?" Vegita asked, looking down at Natalie.  
  
"These should send electric impulses to her brain to make her heart and lungs start up again. Hopefully." Bulma said, hooking up the heart monitor to her body. There was a steady line flashing across the screen, signaling that there was no heartbeat. After a few seconds, she still wasn't responding.   
  
"Do something woman!" Vegita said, trying to make sense of the jumbled wires and electronics on the wall of the room. Bulma raced over and cranked up the machine attached to her temples. Suddenly, Natalie's body gasped for air.   
  
"Her lungs are working!" Bulma cried joyously. Her joy was stifled by fear when she noticed that the heart monitor was still showing an absence of a beat. "Her system is going to start shutting down if we don't get her blood circulating!" Bulma said, frantically searching the room for something of use. She reached into one of the cabinets, pulling out a box of capsules. She forced the box open, spilling the capsules all over the floor. She got on her knees and searched, her eyes locking onto a grey and white medical capsule. "Yes." She said and compressed the top of it, causing it to explode in a tiny puff of smoke, forming a device of some sort. Bulma stood up and placed it on the girl's chest, pressing a blue button located on the side. "If this works," Bulma said, "we might be able to pull it off." The little machine started to emit a low, humming sound. Bulma then pressed another button, causing an electric current to surge forward, connecting to Natalie's chest. Natalie once again gasped for breath, this time her face began to turn red. Bulma repeated this process, causing electricity to flow through the girl.   
  
"Stop that! What are you doing?" Vegita asked, stepping closer.   
"Vegita I know what I'm doing! If this thing doesn't get her heart started, I don't know what will." Bulma shouted, pressing the button once again. Natalie's body began to spasm, causing her to almost fall off the table. Vegita had to hold her down as Bulma continued to send electricity through the girl's heart in hopes of it starting up again. After several more tries, there was still no heartbeat. Bulma slowly withdrew the tiny device from Natalie's chest, her whole body shaking with fear. "N-n-no..." Bulma said, choking back tears. She began to sob uncontrollably, dropping the machine and causing it to shatter into hundreds of little pieces on the cold, hard floor. Vegita looked as if he were in shock, just staring at Natalie's lifeless body on the table. He suddenly snapped back to reality, producing a look of sheer determination and anger on his face. He clenched his fists and shut his eyes, becoming infuriated. Bulma placed a hand on his back, causing him to power down again.   
  
"Vegita there was nothing you could do." She said softly, stroking his arm.   
  
"But there is." He said angrily, walking over to where Natalie lay. He placed his palm on her forehead and began to concentrate. Bulma looked up with a tear-stained face, watching Vegita hopelessly. His palm began to glow a brilliant blue and white color. He gritted his teeth and concentrated harder, his hand glowing brighter.  
  
"Vegita...?" Bulma said, reaching out to him.  
  
"Not now." He said through clenched teeth. He focused all of his power into her, weakening himself substantially. Finally, after draining all of his energy, he collapsed to the floor.   
  
"Vegita!" Bulma cried, jumping over to his side. He was barely conscious, trying desperately to breathe. Suddenly, a beeping noise caused Bulma to jump. She sprung to her feet and looked around for the source of the noise. It then came again. And again. It started to develop a pattern, appearing faster until it was on a steady beat. Bulma looked over at the heart monitor and gasped in utter happiness. Tears streamed down her face as she realized that Natalie was alive! "Oh she's going to make it!" she cried, jumping into the now standing Vegita's arms. She gripped him tightly, crying tears of joy. The beat of the heart monitor was music to her ears as she and her husband stood next to the table where the girl lay. "You saved her!" Bulma said, looking into Vegita's eyes. She never knew he would be capable of something so miraculous. She stood next to Natalie, holding the girl's hand in her own.   
  
"We need to get her to the rejuvenation tank." Vegita muttered. Bulma shut off the machines and disconnected them from Natalie's body. Then Vegita picked up the still unconscious girl and walked into the room where Trunks' tank was. There was another tank next to Trunks', identical in size and capacity. Bulma set the controls on the panel while Vegita placed her inside, putting the oxygen mask over her mouth and the wires on her temples. When they were both finished setting up, Bulma closed the glass door and started it up. They both stood back and watched the tank fill up with water and begin the healing process.   
  
Suddenly, Trunks tank started beeping, signaling that he was finished already (this is possible because he didn't have many injuries). Trunks' eyes opened slowly and he looked around, trying to figure out where he was. Bulma switched it off and opened the glass door. Trunks ripped the equipment off of his body and jumped out of the tank, his body still dripping with water.  
  
"Where's Natalie?" he asked, ringing out his hair. Vegita gestured to the tank beside him and Trunks walked over, placing his hands on the glass, looking at Natalie's unconscious body inside. Her clothing was torn to shreds, and there were a great amount of cuts, scrapes, and bruises on her. She suddenly coughed up blood into the oxygen mask, which removed the contents into the back of the tank where all waste was disposed of. Trunks looked at her with a worried look on his face. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked, turning to his parents. Bulma nodded her head softly, looking at Natalie with a grateful expression. She was afraid to tell Trunks of the events that had taken place, fearing that he would get extremely upset if he found out. She was so thankful that Vegita had been there. If he hadn't been...she dismissed the thought immediately and turned to leave the room. The sun had now set below the horizon and the stars glittered in the night sky. Vegita followed, leaving Trunks alone in the room, still looking into Natalie's tank as she coughed up more blood. He suddenly remembered that he had brought the Goku clone with him. He ran after his parents to inform them. Hopefully, Bulma would be able to determine what it was and where it came from.   
  
"Mom!" he cried, catching up to his mother. She turned around, expecting to hear bad news.   
  
"What is it? Is Natalie okay!?" she cried.  
  
"She's fine." Trunks said. "Mom it was a clone!" He continued while Vegita overheard and walked over.  
  
"Did you kill it?" he asked.  
"Natalie did. I brought it back so you could analyze it." He said and ran into the foyer to retrieve the body. When he returned, Bulma got a sickening feeling in her stomach.  
"THAT thing is supposed to be Goku? How can you tell!?" she said, looking nauseated.   
"It used to look just like him. Before Natalie killed him." Trunks commented, carrying it into the science wing to be tested. He plopped it onto the table and turned to his mother. "Here you go."  
"Uh..." she said, hesitant to even get near it. "Are you sure it's dead? It looks only about half baked to me." She asked. Vegita walked over and placed his hand on the clone's chest, powering up and shooting a beam through it.  
  
"It is now." He said. A trail of blood ran down the side of the table and dripped onto the floor, much to Bulma's disgust. She walked over and slipped on an apron and gloves, preparing to dissect. First, she took a tissue sample and put it on a microscope slide to be examined. Next, she took some blood to be looked at as well. Trunks and Vegita left Bulma to her work, returning to the living quarters of the Capsule Corp. Building. Bra was sitting in the main living room, playing with her gameboy. She looked up from her game with her bright blue eyes.  
  
"Trunks!" she cried and ran over to her brother.   
  
"Wha-?" he said, holding his little sister in his arms.  
  
"I thought you were dead!" she said in her cute little-girl voice. Trunks laughed at his sister, placing her on the ground. "It's not funny!" she said sternly, crossing her arms. Trunks continued to laugh, further infuriating Bra. Finally, she punched him in a not-so-great place, causing him to double over and fall to the ground. Vegita burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter at his son's fate. Trunks shot his dad a "that's not funny" look, while Bra had an amused look on her face.   
  
"That's funny!" she said and then proceeded to do the same to Vegita. His face turned red and he fell to the ground, rigid, just like a board. Bra laughed and ran into another room, leaving the two Saiyans in pain. She ran into the science wing, calling for her mom.  
  
"What is it dear?" Bulma asked, inspecting the clone's DNA strands.   
  
"Hey mommy! If you punch daddy in between the legs, he falls down!" she cried happily. Bulma looked up from her high-powered microscope and looked at her daughter in shock.  
  
"Bra Briefs! Did you hit your father?" Bulma said sternly. Bra had an ear-to-ear grin on her face as she nodded with delight. Bulma sighed and looked into the microscope again. "Mommy's busy, honey. Go play somewhere else."   
  
Bra frolicked down the hallways and back into the living quarters. She was full of energy, so she decided to run around the house. She ran down the hallway towards the medical wing, stopping abruptly when something caught her eye. She spun around and discovered Natalie in the rejuvenation tank. She walked over curiously and pressed her face against the glass, observing the warrior floating in the tank of water. Suddenly, the machine started beeping and a red light flashed on the control panel, startling the girl. She looked at the control panel and pressed a series of buttons, draining the water and opening the glass door. Natalie awakened to Bra crawling into the tank with her.   
  
"Huh? Where am I?" she asked, looking around.  
  
"Natalie!" Bra cried, jumping into the teenager's lap. Natalie picked the girl up in her arms and stepped out of the tank, beads of water chilling her skin. She set the girl down and shook the water off of her body. Bra soon noticed something strange about Natalie that wasn't there before.   
  
"Natalie!" Bra cried, walking around the back of Natalie's body.   
"What is it?" she asked, shaking the water out of her thick mass of brown hair. Suddenly, a painful sensation crashed through her body, bringing her to the ground. She turned around to discover Bra gripping a long, furry brown object in her hand. "You have a tail!" 


	8. Chapter 8

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 8 - Unexpected News  
  
  
Natalie looked at Bra in astonishment.   
  
"A what?" she asked. Bra gripped the object tighter, causing pain to lurch through Natalie's body again.  
  
"A tail." Bra exclaimed. "Let's go show daddy!" Natalie took the tail from Bra's hands and felt it, realizing that it was hers!  
  
"I have a tail!? What!? How can this be possible!?" she cried out. She ran into the living quarters, Bra following close behind. She stopped abruptly when she saw Vegita. Bra soon caught up.  
  
"What do you two want?" Vegita asked, eyeing them suspiciously.  
  
"Natalie has a tail, daddy!" Bra exclaimed, grabbing Natalie's tail once more, causing Natalie to become paralyzed in pain. Vegita immediately shot up, looking at Natalie in disbelief.   
  
"What the HELL!?" he shouted, racing over to where the two stood. He grabbed Natalie's tail and squeezed it, causing her to cry out. "This is a SAIYAN tail!" Vegita's voice was heard throughout the building, causing Bulma to look up from her work.   
  
"What is it this time?" Bulma sighed, heading for the living quarters. When she reached the living room, she stopped in her tracks when she saw Natalie out of the rejuvenation tank.   
  
"How did she get here?" Bulma asked, not noticing the tail.   
  
"I got her out, mommy!" Bra said proudly.  
  
"That's mommy's little scientist!" Bulma said, scooping her daughter up into her arms. She noticed the concerned look on Vegita's face.  
  
"What's the matter, dear?" Bulma asked, unaware of the situation. Without saying a word, Vegita held up the tail. Bulma almost dropped Bra when she saw it.  
  
"What the HELL is that!?" Bulma cried, inspecting it.   
  
"What does it look like, woman? This tail belongs to a Saiyan!" Vegita said. Bulma glanced over at Natalie, who was obviously confused.   
"Natalie? A Saiyan?" Bulma cried, setting her daughter onto the ground and walking over to the girl, grabbing the tail and squeezing it. Natalie cried out once again.  
  
"Why does everyone do that?" Natalie shouted, obviously in pain. Bulma swayed side to side, unsure of what to do.   
  
"Natalie, come with me." Bulma said, ushering Natalie towards the science wing. When they reached the room adjacent to the one Bulma was working in previously, she had Natalie sit on the table in the room while she went to get some equipment. Vegita walked into the room and leaned against the doorframe, watching Natalie as her tail twitched involuntarily. Bulma returned in a matter of moments, carrying a microscope, a syringe, and some sort of computer.   
  
"You're not going to give me a shot, are you!?" Natalie asked, cowering in the corner.   
  
"I have to! I need to do some tests with your DNA." Bulma said, wiping Natalie's inner arm with an alcohol soaked cotton ball. She then took the needle and inserted it into Natalie's vein, getting a sample of her blood. Natalie whimpered in pain and looked away as Bulma drew her blood.   
  
"Ironic," Vegita started, "That you can fight aliens and clones with ease, but you can't even handle a small needle."  
  
"Vegita you're the same way! You won't even let me tear a band-aid off you!" Bulma retorted. Natalie stifled a laugh while Vegita grumbled. Bulma placed a drop of Natalie's blood onto a slide and inserted it into the computer. After pressing an array of different buttons, a display appeared on the screen. Bulma facefaulted while examining the sample, discovering that she was, indeed, Saiyan.   
  
"Well? Did you find anything?" Vegita asked impatiently.  
  
"What are you looking for, anyway?" Natalie asked. She had no idea of what was going on. Bulma continued to examine the screen, realizing that the girl was not just Saiyan. She was mixed with another species, and it wasn't human. After gathering all the information, she switched off the screen and turned to face the two. Vegita was tapping his foot impatiently and Natalie was looking at her with a confused expression.   
  
"Natalie." Bulma started. "Do you know the name of your race?" she asked. Natalie produced a sweat drop and looked down at her hands.  
  
"Sidra-jin." She muttered. How she knew her race was beyond her, but she somehow knew that she was right.  
  
"Do you know who your parents are?" Bulma continued interrogating the girl.   
  
"I only know my mother. She came to me in a dream once. She never said anything about my father." Natalie replied. Bulma turned to Vegita.  
  
"She has a mixed bloodline. Half Saiya-jin, half Sidra-jin." Bulma said to the full-blooded Saiyan prince. "From what I know, her father must have been a Saiyan."  
  
This new information surprised Vegita. Natalie was a Saiyan? That meant...  
  
"Can she go oozaru?" Vegita asked, crossing his arms.   
  
"Vegita I don't know. It's possible, but I don't suggest that we try it." Bulma replied.  
  
"Oozaru?" Natalie said with a strange expression on her face.   
  
"Well why can't we try it? Unless you want to lock her in the house every full moon..." Vegita commented to Bulma, ignoring Natalie.  
"Full moon? Huh?" Natalie was still confused.  
  
"Vegita don't get smart with me! I'm saying it would be dangerous." Bulma continued.   
  
"SOMEONE LISTEN TO ME!" Natalie screamed, startling the arguing couple. "Thanks." She said after getting their attention. Seizing the opportunity, Vegita grabbed the girl and headed outside.   
  
"Vegita come back here!" Bulma cried, racing after him. "I swear, Vegita! You're sleeping on the couch tonight!" Vegita carried Natalie outside and powered up a blast.  
  
"What are you doing!?" Natalie cried, thinking that he was going to blast her.   
  
"Quiet girl!" Vegita yelled at, covering her eyes with his free hand. After a few more seconds, he was finished powering up. He threw his ball of energy towards the sky and it stood in place, resembling the full moon. Vegita then uncovered her eyes and held her head in his hands, forcing her to face the light. Nothing happened.   
  
"Vegita let me go!" she cried, struggling. He let her fall to the ground with a thud, and sent a beam into the sky, exploding the ball of light. He then walked back inside to face an angry Bulma.   
  
"Vegita kindly explain yourself!" Bulma shouted, her hands on her hips. Natalie staggered in, seeming to have a terrible headache. "What did you do to her!?"   
  
"I was just testing her, woman." Vegita said, facing away from his mate. Trunks then came down the stairs, finally finished with his shower.   
  
"W-what are you doing?" he said, looking at the three with a confused expression on his face.   
  
"Trunks what's oozaru?" Natalie called to him. Trunks hadn't been there when they discovered her tail. The Saiyan boy walked down the stairs, intending to be filled in on what he missed.  
  
"How do you know about oozaru?" Trunks asked suspiciously while Bulma and Vegita argued in the background.  
  
"I'll explain later. What is it?" she demanded.   
  
"It's the Saiyan transformation when they look at the full moon..." Trunks said, trailing off. Natalie's tail twitched, revealing itself to the young warrior. Trunks' eyes became large when he saw it. "What the HELL is that!?" he cried, lunging forward to grab it. Instinctively, she blocked him with her hand. He looked up at her with one eyebrow cocked.   
  
"No. Don't touch it." She said, wagging it back and forth mockingly. Since his tail had been removed, as well as all the other Saiyans' tails, he had never seen one before. Vegita stepped in and interjected.  
  
"She has a tail, boy. What does it look like?" he said rudely. Trunks looked up at his father, bewildered.   
  
"Natalie? S-she's a -?" he broke off.  
  
"Saiya-jin." Vegita finished for him. Trunks facefaulted and fell over.   
  
"Half Saiya-jin, actually." Bulma said, stepping in. "She's mixed, like you and Goten. BUT," she continued. "We don't know if she has all of the same traits as you two because she is mixed with a different race."  
  
"She doesn't transform." Vegita commented. "I wonder if she would go Super Saiyan." Bulma turned around, shooting him threatening looks.   
  
"Vegita I don't want you to train her. You'll work her too hard and she'll hurt herself." She said sternly. Vegita acted like he had no idea of what she was talking about.  
  
"What makes you think I was intent on doing that, anyway?" he argued back. Natalie glanced at Trunks with a dry expression. As if they could read each other's thoughts, they both headed upstairs, leaving the two bickering people behind. On the way up, Natalie made sure to stay behind Trunks to prevent him from grabbing her tail. Trunks walked into his room, followed by Natalie. He looked up at her, watching her tail twitch.   
  
"How does it feel?" he asked, studying it curiously.  
  
"Weird...but natural." She replied.   
  
"It all makes sense now." Trunks said. "I used to wonder why you liked to fight so much, and why it came so naturally to you. Now I know."  
  
"What does this mean for me?" she asked. "Am I going to be different with a tail? What am I going to do at school?" she belted out question after question.   
  
"Mine was removed at birth." Trunks replied. "I don't know a thing about them." He could see the worried look on her face. Suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears and she began sobbing.   
  
"I'm so confused!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. Trunks held the shaky girl in his arms, trying to calm her down. "Why can't I just be normal?" she said in between sobs. Bulma and Vegita, whom had obviously reconciled, walked by, observing the distressed Saiyan girl.   
  
"Is she okay?" Bulma asked, walking into the room and standing next to the crying Natalie. Trunks shook his head sadly, shrugging his shoulders. Vegita looked o as his son held the girl in his arms. He grumbled and walked further down the hall to the master bedroom. "We're heading to bed. Call us if you need anything." Bulma said, kissing her son on the forehead. She glanced down at Natalie with sorrow in her eyes and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. When she entered her room at the end of the hall, Vegita was leaning against the wall, obviously ticked off.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.   
  
"Nothing." He muttered. Bulma became annoyed and crossed her arms.  
  
"If you think that's going to convince me, you'd better try harder." She said. "Now really. What's bothering you?" she persisted.  
  
"Woman, if you're not going to leave me alone until I say something, then I'll tell you. Haven't you noticed? Our son has grown fond of the girl." He replied, looking into her eyes with a distraught look in his own. Bulma stepped back in surprise.  
  
"Vegita he's just watching out for her, that's all!" Bulma replied.  
  
"Oh is that all? Well maybe you haven't noticed the way he looks at her, or they way they touch." He said, getting worked up.  
  
"Oh, Vegita." Bulma said, walking over to her mate. "He's growing up. It's going to happen whether we want it to or not." She said, running her hand down his back.   
  
"It's sickening. I don't like it at all." He continued.  
  
"Well let's get some rest. Worrying won't get us anywhere tonight." Bulma said, lying down on the bed and slipping under the covers. Vegita grunted and joined her, flipping the light switch on his way.   
  
Meanwhile, in Trunks' room, Natalie had managed to calm down for the most part. She was still a bit shaky, but otherwise, she was fine.  
  
"Trunks I'm sorry." Natalie said, running a hand through her brown hair, looking somewhat frustrated.   
  
"Natalie you don't have to apologize. I've grown up knowing I was different. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be hit with something like that all at once." Trunks said reassuringly. She looked up at him, her eyes still watery from crying.   
  
"Thank you for understanding." She said, leaning towards him slowly. She rested her head on his shoulder softly, sighing with relief. It had been a long day. She had a way of recovering from incidents like this quickly, but they would always come back to haunt her. A chill ran down her spine and she shuddered. There was something...something there. She didn't know what it was, but her instincts told her to turn around. She did so, seeing nothing but the west wall of Trunks' room.  
  
"What is it?" Trunks asked, looking down at her.  
  
"I-I don't know. There's something very close...I can sense it." She said, this time standing up and looking around the room. She ran out on the balcony and scanned the outside. Her tail twitched anxiously. Trunks followed her outside and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.  
  
"Natalie?" he asked, stepping next to her and looking into her eyes, now wide with fear.   
  
"Can't you feel it?" She asked, her eyes darting around at the slightest movement, the softest rustling of tree branches, the tiniest gust of wind. The hairs on her neck stood in end as if a sudden chill had embraced her body. Trunks looked around as well, confused with the situation.  
  
"There's nothing out there." Trunks said. "Come inside, Nat, you're scaring yourself." He begged, putting a hand on her back and giving her a nudge towards the inside. She took one final glance around the yard and gave in, following Trunks inside. She shut the door to the balcony behind her, and spun around to face inward. She gasped in horror as a figure stood before her, grinning evilly.  
  
"ORION!" she cried, backing against the wall. Orion said nothing, but proceeded to fold his arms and laugh mockingly. She covered her ears to keep the noise out of her head. It continued to reverberate around the room, filling the entire building with its evil tone. She screamed an ear splitting scream, falling to the floor. Trunks stood in a daze, not moving. Natalie glanced up just as Orion charged a blast, hurling it toward the young Saiyan warrior. Trunks didn't even flinch as the energy slammed into his body, producing a gaping hole in his chest. He looked at Natalie one final time before falling to the floor, dead. She let out an exasperated cry, her eyes wide in horror. She opened her mouth and released the loudest, most shrill cry ever emitted from her body. The only thing she could see was Trunks' dead body, lying on the floor without movement. She continued to scream while Orion's laugh penetrated her skull, driving her insane. She forced her eyes shut, still seeing Trunks lying on the floor in his own blood. She raised her head to the sky, crying out to the stars. Orion stood, his face twisted in an evil smile as he laughed the all-familiar laugh.   
  
Natalie's body jumped up and she opened her eyes, focusing on the world around her. She felt strong arms around her, holding her down. She screamed once more, trying to break free. When her eyes finally adjusted, she looked around her world. She was in Trunks' room, but everything was intact. He eyes raced to locate Trunks' body lying on the floor, but there was nothing. She inhaled sharply, trying to make sense of the situation.  
  
"Natalie." A soothing voice said.  
  
"What!?" she cried, trembling violently.   
  
"Natalie wake up." The voice continued. It was Trunks' voice! Trunks' arms were around her! She turned to see his face, looking at her, deeply concerned. She broke down into more uncontrollable sobbing as Trunks held her still. She could hear Vegita and Bulma talking, standing next to her. They sounded worried. She could still hear Orion's laugh, ringing in her ears. Trunks' dead body remained fresh in her mind.   
  
"She's having a nightmare..." she could hear Bulma's voice echo through her head. Natalie fought to keep breathing, her chest burning in protest. She thought that she would explode with anguish and pain. Finally, after a few minutes, she had finally passed out and gone completely limp in Trunks' arms. If it weren't for her heart beating incredibly fast, she would've appeared to be dead. The three stood there, watching the girl as her body tried to return to the rhythmic patterns of life.   
  
"What do you suppose brought this on?" Bulma said to Vegita, who was staring at the young girl intently.   
  
"There's something eating at her. You can see it." Vegita replied. "We need to figure out where these clones are coming from. They may be the source of this confusion." Bulma looked at her husband in shock. All she had expected in reply was a simple grunt or "Hmph". She glanced over at Trunks, who had an equally surprised expression on his face. Vegita proceeded to leave the room, returning to the master bedroom. Bulma glanced over at the clock on the wall. It was almost midnight. She and Vegita had awakened when they heard the screams. Natalie stirred in her sleep, letting out a slight cry.   
  
"Trunks just get her into her room and make sure she gets to sleep. We'll deal with this in the morning." Bulma said, leaning on the wall for support. This whole ordeal was very tiresome and draining. Trunks grunted in reply as Bulma walked out of the room.  
  
"I swear." She thought to herself. "He acts more and more like Vegita every day." 


	9. Chapter 9

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 9 - Encounter  
  
  
Natalie could vaguely feel her body resting on the bed. To her, it was like floating. Floating in a vast emptiness. She could sense Trunks' presence next to her.   
  
"I have to protect them." She thought, the world flowing through her mind like water. "I can't let this evil consume their world." She knew what she had to do. She would leave this place. She would find Orion, and she would destroy him. She loved Trunks dearly, but she couldn't ignore this threat anymore. She would sacrifice her life for him. Natalie could feel a tear run down her cheek and land on the pillow resting beneath her head. She slowly opened her eyes, bringing her body back to reality. Trunks lay next to her, sleeping. She stroked his hair, looking at him sorrowfully.   
  
"I'm so sorry." She said, sadness consuming her soul. But she had a mission. She had to protect them. She arose slowly, making sure now to disturb the sleeping Trunks. Dressed in nothing more than her back training clothes, she pulled her flowing brown hair into a ponytail. Another tear slid down her face and landed softly on the ground. Her nylon pants rustled when she moved, causing Natalie to use more careful movements. She couldn't let them know she was leaving, for they would try to stop her. When she had pulled on her training shoes, she walked towards the balcony door. She looked back at Trunks, still sleeping, and kissed him softly on the forehead. With that, she slipped outside quietly, shutting the door behind her. She stood out on the balcony, looking up at the night sky. She inhaled the cool, night air, preparing herself. Her nerves shook, telling her to turn around and go back inside.   
  
"No." she said. "I have to do this." She leaned over the railing, looking down at the ground. Her ki flared, forming a yellow aura around her body. Her tail twitched in anticipation, and she lifted herself onto the rails. She stood, looking out at the sleeping world. Slowly but surely, she floated into the air, her hair blowing in the mild wind that her ki produced. When she had reached a safe distance from the Capsule Corp. building, she allowed her aura to expand, energy surging through her body. She then took off across the sky like a comet, leaving a blazing trail of power behind her. She didn't know exactly where she was heading but she knew her senses would guide her. Orion was nearby, and she could feel it. She had felt ever since that day, when she sat alone in her room. That's when she knew he was alive.   
Natalie stopped when she reached the rural area. Making sure that there was nobody around, she shot straight up, towards the sky. The wind surged past her, giving her a feeling of incredible freedom. Freedom that she couldn't possess. When she was a good 3 miles above the earth, she slowed her pace, continuing on until she stopped, looking down at the tops of the clouds. She then allowed her whole body to relax, or as close to relaxation as she could maintain. She closed her eyes and concentrated.   
  
"Orion! Show yourself!" she cried out. She could feel an evil presence about her. Then there was the laughter. The laughter that had caused so many nightmares, so much terror.   
  
"So you've finally decided to join me Carina." The evil voice said. It echoed through the sky, sending a chill down her spine. She looked around, trying to locate the source.   
  
"Orion you can take me, but leave the earth out of this!" she said in response. Suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged from the cloud, talking on the form of Orion himself. As he approached her, she fought to keep control of her body. She so desperately wanted to get away, to return to the safe haven of Capsule Corp, but she knew that she couldn't abandon this now. Orion stood, a mere two feet away from her, his arms folded and an evil smile on his face. Natalie forced herself to look away.  
  
"What's the matter, princess?" he asked, reaching out a hand and pulling her chin towards him. Her eyes were full of fear as she looked at him. "Do you fear me?" he said. She trembled as he held her chin in his hand. Her tail twitched nervously and Orion's eyes widened when he saw it. "What is THAT?" he asked, looking down at it menacingly.  
  
"It's a -" she broke off. "It's a tail." She replied. Orion growled angrily.  
  
"So you have a tail?" he asked, looking back into her eyes. She nodded her head fearfully. A gust of wind blew past them, blowing her hair around while it passed. Orion laughed softly. He grabbed her hand suddenly and his brilliant aura appeared, enveloping his body in it's bright light. Natalie closed her eyes, awaiting whatever fate had in store for her.   
  
  
Vegita awoke with a start. His heart was pounding so loudly that he was sure it would awaken his wife. He put his hand to his forehead, wiping off the beads of cold sweat that had appeared in his sleep. He could sense it. The power was intense. Suddenly, the thought registered in his mind.  
  
"Oh shit! The girl!" he cried, jumping out of bed and racing down the hall to Trunks' room. Seeing it empty, he headed to Natalie's. He swung open the door to reveal Trunks sleeping on the bed. Natalie was nowhere to be seen. Vegita clenched his fists and cursed under his breath. His sharp increase in power caused Trunks to awaken as well.   
  
"Huh? What's going on?" he said, sitting up. He looked up at is father, who was looking out at the balcony. Noticing the absence of Natalie almost immediately, he opened his mouth to speak.  
  
"She's gone." Vegita replied, as if he had read Trunks' mind. Trunks felt the sudden surge of power in the distance and his eyes widened.   
  
"Oh no..." he trailed off and jumped up from the bed, powering up.  
  
"Don't!" Vegita shouted at his son. "We don't even know what's going on yet...let's wake up your mother." He said and ran down the hall for Bulma. A few moments later, Bulma was awakened and dragged to the science wing where she groggily searched for the enhanced scouters.   
  
"I don't know what you want these for..." she said, poking her head into a cabinet. "It isn't going to tell you WHAT the source of the power is."  
  
"Just get them, woman." Vegita said hastily. Bulma rolled her eyes and continued, locating a green-tinted one. Pulling it out, she tossed it to her husband.   
  
"Here." She said, standing up and brushing herself off. Trunks stood in the corner, hardly keeping himself still. Vegita put on the scouter and pressed the main button on the side. The scouter bleeped and displayed several numeric readings.   
  
"No, stupid piece of junk!" Vegita shouted at the scouter. "I don't want to see Kakarott's power level!" He continued to press the main button on the side until it displayed two powers. One was fairly strong, the other enormous. "I've found her." Vegita said, staring into the tinted piece of glass.   
  
"Let me see!" Trunks said, jumping up and ripping the scouter off of Vegita. The Saiyan prince was about to protest when he caught a glance from Bulma that warned him not to. Trunks put on the scouter and located the two ki's. He almost fell over when he saw the power reading on the second ki. If his mother hadn't enhanced this scouter, it would have surely exploded by now. Before Bulma or Vegita could protest, Trunks tore off the scouter and took off, not even bothering to open the door before he flew through it. Vegita cursed under his breath and followed, leaving an annoyed Bulma behind.   
  
"Oh well. I guess you get used to it when you marry the prince of an extinct warrior race." She said, and slumped onto one of the chairs.  
  
Trunks hurled through the sky at an amazing speed, with only one thing on his mind.   
  
"Why did she do this?" he thought to himself as he whizzed through the clouds. He was angry with her for leaving, but he knew she had reasoning behind her motives. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks. He could see the blinding light at a distance, and knew she was there.   
  
"Natalie!" he cried, racing towards the scene.   
  
Orion sensed Trunks presence at once. He snapped his head around, locating the light of his ki.   
  
"So you set a trap?" Orion said, turning back to Natalie.   
  
"No! I had no idea that he knew where I was!" she said, trying not to get the boy killed. "Please don't harm him. Just take me." She said desperately. An evil smile appeared on Orion's face and he grabbed her by the shoulders, sending out a huge shock wave of power. The wave tried to knock Trunks back, but he persisted, getting closer. He could see Natalie. But who was that with her? Trunks sped up, making out a figure. No...It couldn't be! Trunks narrowed his eyes in rage, increasing his speed. When he was within 20 feet of the two, the light began to grow infinitely, becoming painfully bright. Natalie looked over at him with horror in her eyes as she was enveloped in the bright light. Just before she disappeared, she reached up a hand and ripped off one of her silver star earrings, throwing it to Trunks. Then, she screamed an ear splitting scream and disappeared into the night sky. The light exploded, hurling outward several miles. It lit up the entire sky and then subsided just as quickly, leaving behind no evidence that it was ever there. Trunks blinked several times, trying to focus on his surroundings. When his sight returned, he saw that Natalie was gone. He thrashed about, trying to locate her presence. He couldn't even feel her ki. Enraged, Trunks let out a deafening yell, exploding into a huge ball of energy. His hair turned gold, his eyes green. The massive surge of power knocked back the stunned Vegita. He looked up to see his son, fists clenched, exploding into USSJ.   
  
"Shit. This isn't supposed to happen!" Vegita cursed and headed towards Trunks. The young Saiyan boy didn't even notice his father approach as anger filled him, causing him to become insanely powerful. Vegita faded out and appeared in front of him.  
  
"Trunks! Stop!" he shouted. Trunks didn't even acknowledge his words and continued to emit an enormous amount of energy. Seeing no other alternative, Vegita powered up to super Saiyan and confronted Trunks once more. This time, the boy noticed his father and looked on, eyes narrowed in complete exasperation. He saw the look in Vegita's eyes and calmed himself down considerable, yet still remaining in the super Saiyan stage.   
  
"Boy there was nothing you could have done." Vegita said, putting a hand Trunks' shoulder. "Now we have to focus on finding her." Trunks clenched his fist and then opened it to reveal Natalie's earring. Seeing this caused Trunks to break down again. He was positively angered,   
  
"It was Orion." Trunks said through clenched teeth. His rage was boiling inside of him as he fought to stay under control. Vegita looked as his son in doubt.  
  
"He's dead." was the only thing that escaped Vegita's lips. Trunks looked at his father with a reassuring look.   
  
"He's alive. I saw him. That bastard is going to pay with his life." Trunks said. He was desperately trying to locate Natalie's ki, but it was nowhere to be found. He would head back to Capsule Corp. for the scouters.   
  
  
Natalie awoke slowly, her head throbbing in pain. She took in a breath of icy air, causing her to gasp in pain.   
  
"Where am I?" she said aloud. Her voice echoed back to her. It sounded so far away, yet close. A chill ran down her spine. Suddenly, she remembered what had happened. Orion had taken her somewhere. Had she done the right thing? There was no helping her now as she sat alone. The whole world was dark. She could see nothing, hear nothing, only her rapid breathing. Suddenly, something caused her power to surge. The force caused her to claw the ground in pain, trying to keep herself under control. She screamed as the energy surged through her body. Then, the pain left as quickly as it had come. She was now sitting still again, with nothingness around her. No sound could be heard except for her breathing, which had increased. She called out to Orion.  
  
"Miss me?" he said, his voice echoing as well. The sound caused Natalie to jump. She still couldn't see anything, just black nothingness.   
  
"Where am I?" she cried, her tail swishing back and forth. Then, it hit something. Something hard and strong. She spun around in reaction, and though she still couldn't see, she felt around on the ground with her hands until she reached it. "What is it?" she wondered. She felt it, running her hand upward. It was smooth in texture, like metal. Then, it stopped. Next there was some kind of material, like fabric of some nature. Suddenly, she stopped, realizing that it was Orion's leg. She jumped back five feet, grasping her hand as if she had just touched acid. Her eyes darted around wildly, desperately trying to locate the figure.   
  
"Oh, did I scare you?" Orion laughed mockingly.   
  
"He loves doing this to me." Natalie thought bitterly. She struggled to her feet, waving her arms around in the air. She accidentally stumbled forward, falling into Orion's arms. She tried to pull away at once but was kept in place by his strong grip.  
  
"Orion let me go." She said firmly. She wasn't going to plead this time. She wasn't going to be his weak little princess any more. He obeyed, releasing her. She fell backward, inhaling sharply. "Where am I?" she repeated, this time speaking directly to him.   
  
"That's not important." Orion said. She could hear him shifting, probably folding his arms. "What is important is that you're here with me." Natalie shuddered. She wanted so desperately to get out of there. But she didn't even know where "there" was. She forced herself to speak, her voice quivering.   
  
"Why do you want me so badly?" she asked. "Can't you see that I like it on Earth? Why won't you just leave me alone?" Orion narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Princess, you love Earth because it's the only home you've known." Orion started. "If you come with me, you would have anything and everything. With that perspective, Earth would be nothing more than a grain of sand in the hourglass." He said. Natalie was becoming angry with him for taking her home so lightly.   
  
"I don't want that perspective! I have everything I could possibly want." She argued. "If you really want the best for me, you will leave me and the earth alone. There are plenty of other things out there for you to pursue."  
  
"It's your destiny to be with me!" Orion said, almost shouting at the girl. "Have you forgotten your past?"   
  
"I don't want that past! I am Natalie. I'm not princess Carina of Vela or anything else." She shouted back.   
  
"But you ARE Carina." Orion said. Suddenly, the room lit up, startling her. She blinked her eyes and looked around. She could see Orion standing before her, his arms crossed. "Look at yourself!" he said. Natalie looked down at her hands. She was still the same person. Tears began to stream down her face and she looked up at Orion.   
  
"I won't let you do this to me!" she cried. She was finished with trying to negotiate with him. She stood up, preparing to attack him, when her ki surged again, causing her to double over in pain. She gritted her teeth and tried to stand, only falling onto the floor.  
  
"No, no, no, princess." He said. "Not this time. I took this into consideration before I returned to earth." She looked up at him, enraged. Suddenly, she felt something on the back of her neck. She reached for it, her ki surging again. "It's this great little device that locks onto a person's ki and controls it." Orion explained.   
  
"Get this off me, NOW!" she screamed, trying to power up. Unfortunately, Orion wouldn't allow it.   
  
"I'll remove it as soon as you decide to join me." He said.  
  
"Then I guess it's staying on." She said bitterly. Orion laughed at her fate.   
  
"Stubborn, I see. No matter. I'll change that." He said, stepping closer to her. She backed away, looking at him threateningly.   
  
"Don't touch me." She said in a low, menacing tone.   
  
"My, my. Aren't we feisty tonight?" he said. Suddenly, he lurched forward and grabbed her neck. She tried to pull away but there was no use in trying. He then placed his palm to her forehead. Then, his hand started to glow intensely. Natalie's eyes widened in terror and she used all of her strength to try to escape, but Orion held on. Soon, her whole body went numb. One by one, her senses started to dissipate. She couldn't move, even if she had a chance of getting away. Another tear slid down her cheek and onto Orion's hand. He looked down at it and then back into her eyes, smiling evilly. This was the last thing she saw. 


	10. Chapter 10

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 10 - No Emotions  
  
  
Trunks and Vegita sped towards Capsule Corp. with blinding speed. Trunks was still incredibly furious, but he forced himself to put those feelings aside and try to focus on getting Natalie back, rather than the loss of her. He glanced back down and opened his hand, revealing her silver earring. It glinted in the light of his ki.  
  
"I promise I'll find you, Natalie." He whispered to himself. He saw Capsule Corp.'s rooftop in the distance. He picked up speed, reaching his destination in a matter of moments. He landed on the roof with a thus, followed by Vegita. They jumped to the ground and swung the front door open, running inside to look for Bulma. There she was, asleep on the sofa in the main living room. Vegita walked over and shook her awake.  
  
"Huh? Wha -?" she said, looking around. "Oh, it's you. Where's Natalie? Did you guys find her!?" she said, sitting up. Vegita shook his head.   
  
"We need anything you can find to locate her. Orion's back." Vegita said. Bulma's eyes widened in shock and she stood up slowly, trying to grasp the concept.   
  
"Orion?" she whimpered. "As in the Orion that came to earth a few months ago?" she said. She was positively terrified now. She raced to the science wing and tried to find something to help her husband while Trunks and Vegita followed. "What kind of thing are you looking for?" Bulma asked. After all, she had several rooms filled with different gadgets and machines.   
  
"We need to locate Natalie's whereabouts. First let's try the enhanced scouter." Vegita suggested. He picked up a yellow-tinted scouter and pressed the main button, turning it on. After fiddling with it for a few minutes, he still hadn't located her ki.   
  
"I might have something that could boost its range. Hold on." Bulma said, searching several cabinets and compartments. "Ah-ha!" she proclaimed, pulling out a small generator. "This should do it." She said. She connected the wires to the scouter and turned it on. The generator lit up and produced a low buzzing sound. Vegita put the scouter back on and tried to locate her. This time, it targeted on two distant ki's.   
  
"FOUND IT!" Vegita said, racing out the door again. Trunks' eyes lit up and he followed. Bulma had a dry look on her face and sighed.   
  
The two Saiyans rocketed across the sky, following the signals. They soon made out two figures racing across the sky opposite of them. Trunks' heart pounded in his chest. Orion's ki was much more powerful than it was last time they had met. Even if Trunks didn't stand a chance, he wanted to make sure that Natalie was okay.   
  
Orion noticed two approaching figures and stopped dead in his tracks. Natalie, who had been flying along side of him, stopped as well. Orion crossed his arms in anticipation while Natalie just hovered in the air, her face expressionless.   
  
Trunks could see them clearly now. What was Natalie doing, just standing there? He approached, stopping about ten feet away from the two.   
  
"So you've come for the princess, have you?" Orion asked the Saiyan warrior. Trunks snarled angrily and got into fighting stance.   
  
"That's right. Let her go you alien bastard." Trunks growled. He looked into Natalie's eyes but saw nothing but a blank stare back. There was no emotion, no feeling to her whatsoever. Trunks looked back at Orion, who was looking hardly phased.   
  
"She's not going anywhere." Orion said, putting his hand around her waist. Trunks struggled to keep himself from exploding in anger. Natalie didn't even move. She just sat still. What had he done to her? Orion could sense Trunks' anger and laughed mockingly. "See for yourself. She won't come to you." He said. Trunks looked back at Natalie, who just stared forward. His rage boiling inside him, Trunks lunged at Orion, who easily dodged. Trunks faded out and reappeared in front of the warrior, preparing to deliver a blow to his face. Orion faded out himself and Trunks' head spun, looking around for the alien. Suddenly, something hit him in the back of the head, sending him forward.   
  
Meanwhile, Vegita was watching on as his son fought Orion uselessly. Natalie stood in the midst of it all, not even flinching. He knew that Orion had done something to her. This wasn't the Natalie they all knew. Vegita seized the opportunity and charged forward while Orion was distracted. He attempted to knock him forward, but Orion dodged and Vegita sailed forward, hitting nothing but thin air. Orion counter-attacked with a ki blast to Vegita's back. Vegita turned around just in time to see the energy slam into his body, knocking him backward several feet.   
  
"You Saiyans are all alike. Pitiful. You think you can take on anything that comes your way. Little do you know that I am merely toying with you." Orion said menacingly. Vegita regained his composure and observed Orion charging a blast, preparing to send it in Trunks' direction.   
  
"Final Flash!" Vegita cried, sending a massive amount of energy towards Orion. The alien pushed Natalie out of the way and took the attack head on. The energy exploded on contact with Orion and surrounded the area with a bright white light. Vegita smirked to himself. Unfortunately, when the light faded out, Orion stood, unscathed. Trunks and Vegita both gaped. Orion laughed his familiar, evil laugh. Trunks, enraged, charged a ki blast and sent it hurling towards Orion's body. Knowing that it would do nothing, he sent it anyway, for he had a plan. As the power shot through the air towards its prey, Trunks motioned for Vegita to go in and attack while Orion was distracted by the blast. Nodding, Vegita waited until just before the blast hit. Just as Orion raised his hand to block the attack, Vegita delivered a blow to his chest. Orion fell back a few feet, surprised that the Saiyan had managed to land a hand on him. He turned to the two, looking amused.   
  
"Crafty pair, you two are. It will be a shame to destroy such great warriors." Orion said, smiling evilly. Trunks' eyes widened as Orion charged Vegita, faster than he could see. Vegita didn't even have time to react before Orion slammed his fist into the Saiyan's stomach, sending him backward with great force. Orion then faded and reappeared behind Vegita, bringing his fists crashing into his back. The momentum caused Vegita's back to bend inward, causing great pain to the Saiyan prince. Orion ki blasted Vegita, sending him hurling toward the earth. Trunks was torn between going after his father and going for Natalie while Orion was distracted. He made up his mind quickly and headed to where Natalie hovered. He looked into her eyes, still seeing nothing but a cold stare in return. Trunks lifted her chin and kissed her softly, hoping to snap her out of her trance. When he brought his lips back, looking into her eyes once more, he saw that nothing had changed.  
  
"Natalie!" he cried, shaking the girl by her shoulders. She responded by hitting him away. Surprised, Trunks looked back at Natalie. Once again, he approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Natalie don't you remember? Please remember!" Trunks pleaded with the girl. She looked at him with her emotionless eyes and put both of her hands on his chest. Trunks loosened up, thinking that she was beginning to remember. However, instead of coming closer to him, she charged a ki blast and fired at him, sending him flying backward. He stopped himself in mid-air and looked back at the girl. She still stood in one place, not moving. Trunks then looked down at Orion, who was beating on Vegita. "No!" Trunks shouted and shot towards the ground where his father was being beaten up. Orion laughed as he held Vegita's neck in his hands, slowly squeezing it to cut off his oxygen supply. By now, Vegita was too weakened to fight back. He had several cuts and burns all over his body, and his bodysuit was torn in several places. Just as Vegita started to black out, Trunks connected his fist with Orion's head. Orion cried out in rage, dropping the weakened prince on the ground and turning to face Trunks.   
  
"That was a mistake." Orion said in a lethal tone. Trunks knew that he didn't stand a chance, but held his ground anyway. The alien charged at Trunks, delivering a painful blow to the boy's chest, knocking the wind out of his lungs. The Saiyan boy gasped for air, falling onto the ground, rendering him vulnerable. Orion then grabbed Trunks by the back of the neck, squeezing it until Trunks was sure it would snap. At reaching that point, Orion held his grip steady, slowly torturing the boy. Seeing him in pain bought sheer delight to Orion's face. Nobody would mess with his princess and live to do it again. Suddenly, Vegita sent his fist flying into Orion's back. Orion loosened his grip on Trunks' neck, falling forward as a result of the blow. He spun around angrily, glaring at Vegita.   
  
  
Goku awoke in his home in response to the sudden surge of power. He sat up in the dark, his head throbbing as he struggled to lock onto the power levels.   
  
"Shit!" he cried, jumping out of bed and throwing on his fighting clothes as fast as he could. He ran out of the room and down the stairs, racing out the door and shooting into the sky. He could feel the power radiating from several miles away. He sensed the evilness in it. Then he remembered. His thoughts wandered back to that day when he was racing towards the battlegrounds where Orion fought his friends, claiming his victory, when he had stopped him just in the nick of time. Could it be? The ki seemed so familiar. Goku pressed on, drawing nearer to the scene.   
  
  
Vegita stood just feet away from Orion, his heart beating rapidly. He remembered their last battle, how Orion had killed Trunks without even trying. This thought angered Vegita, causing his power to increase. Orion glanced up at Natalie, who was still hovering in the air, motionless. He contacted her telepathically, grabbing her attention. She looked down as he motioned for her to come forth. She obeyed, floating to the ground and joining Orion in battle.   
  
"Leave the girl out of this. She has no reason to be here." Vegita snarled.   
  
"Of course she does." Orion responded. "She's the whole reason I came to this pathetic planet." Vegita was growing angrier by the minute.   
  
"Stop going on about her, Orion. You act as if she is your property. You don't own her." Vegita argued. His anger had almost reached its critical point. Orion was becoming annoyed with the Saiyan. He considered finishing him off right then and there, but decided to have some fun with him first. Suddenly, Trunks grabbed Orion's neck from behind, squeezing it just had been done to him. Orion cried out in rage as Vegita smirked and powered up a ki blast. Just as Vegita had released the blast, Natalie jumped in front of Orion and took the blast on herself. The energy exploded when it hit her, enveloping the whole area in a cloud of dust and smoke. Trunks cried out in rage and realized that Orion had escaped his grip. He powered up to super Saiyan and looked around frantically, trying to locate Orion. When the dust settled, he saw Orion standing next to Natalie, who had burn marks on her body from Vegita's blast. Trunks grew furious, charging at Orion and attacking him head on. He threw a series of rapid punches at the warrior, missing each time. This fueled his rage, causing his power to increase even more as he blurred in and out of sight. Orion seemed to have no difficulty dodging his attacks and was even getting in a few hits of his own. This was mere child's play for Orion, while Trunks was fighting for all his worth. This fact amused Orion, causing him to pick up the pace, landing a good hit on Trunks' jaw.   
  
Suddenly, Orion felt a presence behind him and spun around to face Goku. Orion was easily as tall as him, looking him right in the eye.   
  
"So you've returned." Goku said, managing to stay calm, much to everyone's surprise.   
  
"I have." Was Orion's simple reply. He glared at Goku, remembering him from last time.   
  
"Haven't you had enough? Why must you cause more trouble?" Goku asked, folding his arms.   
  
"Doing battle with you wasn't my intent. I returned for the princess." Orion replied. "However, seeing that your foolish friends would not give up without a fight, I decided to give them just that."  
  
Goku was starting to become angry. Time after time, he had fought enemies from different worlds, sometimes barely managing to escape with his life. Other times he didn't at all. But he had never faced someone this powerful, or purely evil for that matter. He didn't understand what he wanted with the girl, for he had never heard the story of their past. With a single burst of energy, Goku's aura expanded and brightened as his hair turned a brilliant golden color and his eyes turned from black to green. "You will regret coming here." Goku said firmly. Orion narrowed his eyes.  
  
"I do not consider you a threat. Don't waste my time." Orion challenged. Goku powered up a blast.  
  
"Ka..." he started. Vegita and Trunks realized what he was doing. "Me..." Goku continued to power up. Trunks and Vegita went super Saiyan as well, knowing that it would take all they had to defeat Orion, if they could defeat him at all. "Ha..." Orion stood, awaiting the attack. He was growing tired of playing with these fools, and was readying himself for the real battle. "Me..." Natalie still stood next to Orion, a blank expression on her face. Her mind was no longer there, but she was being fueled by nothing more than Orion's own mind. "HAAAA!" Goku screamed, throwing his attack at Orion. The warrior stood in place, not even flinching as the huge blast hurled towards him. He extended his hands just as the beam hit him, deflecting it into the sky. Goku stood in shock, as Orion remained untouched. The attack exploded in the sky, surrounding the vicinity with a blinding light. Orion took the opportunity and used it to his advantage. At the moment while the fighters were temporarily blinded, he sent an enormous wave of raw energy towards them. They didn't even knew what hit them as they were knocked back, falling to the ground. When the dust cleared, Orion stood with his arms crossed while the three Saiyans struggled to get up. The warrior laughed with delight and spoke.   
  
"Now for the real battle to begin." 


	11. Chapter 11

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 11 - Confrontations   
  
  
Orion stood ominously in front of the three Saiyans, waiting. Trunks snarled angrily while Goku and Vegita managed to get on their feet. He hoped that Goku and Vegita would be able to distract Orion so that he could get Natalie to safety. She just stood, her eyes blank. He was furious with that freak who dared to come to Earth and shatter the peace for his own fulfillment. Suddenly, Orion charged Vegita, ramming him like a bull and knocking him onto the ground. During the split second when Vegita was vulnerable, Orion struck, sending a ki blast straight into the Saiyan's face. Vegita screamed in pain and rage, springing to his feet and powering up a blast.   
  
Trunks made a move for Natalie, jumping to her side and grabbing her, preparing to take off while Orion was distracted. Unfortunately, Natalie glared at him and punched him in the stomach, forcing the boy to his knees. He hadn't been prepared for an attack.   
  
"Natalie?" Trunks said, looking up at the girl. He had dirt smudged on his face.   
  
Natalie glared at the boy. How foolish he was, trying to take her from her destiny. She knew that her future lied with Orion.  
  
"Trunks I never want to see you again." She said, looking down on him. Trunks jumped back in surprise. No...this wasn't Natalie. This was who Orion wanted her to be.   
  
"Natalie I know you don't mean that! You're under Orion's control." Trunks said. There had to be some way to get her to remember...  
  
"Hyaa!" Vegita shouted as he fired another blast at Orion. He was rapidly deteriorating, while Orion looked as if he was just getting warmed up. Goku sensed Vegita's condition and stepped in, throwing a punch to Orion's back. Unfortunately, Orion dodged and Goku sailed forward from the momentum. Orion brought his fists together and slammed them into Goku's back, snapping it instantly. Goku fell to the ground, crying out in pain. Vegita looked at the fallen warrior in shock.  
  
"Get up, Kakarott!" he shouted. Goku was lying with his stomach on the ground. His arms and legs were sprawled out in painful-looking positions and his head rested on its side, his face twisted in pain. Orion laughed as Goku struggled to lift his head out of the dirt.  
  
"Pathetic. Like all Saiyans." He said, kicking Goku in the side. Trunks spun around to see the fallen warrior and screamed in rage. He charged towards Orion, his fists ready, but Orion sensed his coming and moved out of the way just in time. Trunks skidded to a halt and backflipped over Orion's head, landing behind him. He bought his feet around in attempt to sweep Orion's feet, but Orion jumped into the air and did a roundhouse kick, planting his foot right into Trunks' jaw. Vegita, enraged, thrusted forward, throwing his fist towards Orion's head. Orion dodged and returned with a blow to Vegita's chest, knocking the wind out of the mighty Saiyan warrior. As Vegita gasped for breath, Orion grabbed his neck once again, squeezing it tightly. Already short of oxygen, Vegita passed out almost instantly, falling to the ground in a heap. Orion fired at Vegita's helpless body, drilling him into the earth and creating a crater around him. Dust and rocks flew everywhere. Trunks raised his arms, trying to shield his eyes from the flying debris. Suddenly, he saw a flash of white, followed by a harsh voice cursing under its breath. Trunks looked up in surprise to see Piccolo, facing Orion with a menacing glare on his face.   
  
"What do we have here? It looks like a little green man." Orion said, smirking. Piccolo stood like a statue, his cape blowing in the wind created by the impending superpowers preparing to clash. The look on Orion's face reminded the Namek warrior of the time Vegita and Nappa had first arrived on earth. Purely evil.   
  
Piccolo lunged at Orion, who moved to the side. Piccolo anticipated this and brought his fist around, preparing to punch him in the chest.   
  
"Damn fool." Orion muttered and ducked, causing the Namek to stumble forward. Following up with a ki blast, he leapt into the air and hovered over Piccolo, preparing to attack once again.   
  
"There's gotta be a weakness somewhere..." Trunks thought, looking on as Orion beat mercilessly on Piccolo's body. Of course! Natalie was his weakness. Unfortunately, Trunks couldn't get close enough to her to do anything drastic anyways. He suddenly got an idea. Charging up a ki blast, he aimed it at the girl, preparing to throw his attack at any second.   
  
"Take this!" Trunks shouted, about to fire at her. Orion heard Trunks and spun around, observing the Saiyan boy's motives.   
  
"No!" Orion shouted, sending an immense blast at the boy, which hit dead on and left singe marks behind. Seeing that the warrior was distracted, Piccolo lunged forward, slamming his fist into Orion's back. As he stumbled forward, Piccolo kneed him in the stomach and hit him in the back at the same time. Orion fell on the ground surprised and enraged that someone had the nerve to touch him. He sprung up from the ground and glared at the Namek.   
  
"Good job, green man. So far you've managed to land more hits than any of your pathetic friends here." He said, gesturing to the fallen Goku and Vegita. Piccolo snarled, bearing his fangs. Orion laughed his menacing laugh and began to glow. His aura exploded, sending Trunks and Natalie flying back. Trunks did a back flip and landed on his feet with no problems, but Natalie hit the ground with a sickening thud. Her face twisted in pain, she lay on the ground with no motion. Trunks then saw Vegita standing where Natalie had just stood, holding a small device in his hands.   
  
Vegita studied the device, assuming that this was what was controlling her mind. He then proceeded to crush it in his hands. Natalie cried out as if in pain, tensing up and clawing the ground as her ki surged, and then went silent, falling to the ground in a heap.  
  
"Huh -?" Orion broke off, spinning around to face the fallen girl. His eyes narrowed and then darted over to where Vegita was standing with the remains of the gadget in his hands. "Why you -" Orion started, rushing Vegita and knocking him backwards. He then looked up at Vegita, rage boiling in his veins. "You..." he said gravely, looking at the Saiyan. Trunks' eyes widened as Orion launched an all out assault on his father, blurring in and out of sight so fast that he left a temporary image behind. Orion hurled his fist into Vegita's jaw, sending him flying back. Vegita regained his balance, only to be knocked off again by Orion's foot connecting with his stomach. Vegita fell to the ground, clenching his stomach in pain, when a hand wrapped around his throat and lifted him off the ground. He looked up to see Orion with a positively furious look on his face. "So you want to do this the hard way, do you?" Orion said in a menacing tone. He squeezed Vegita's neck tighter, causing him to gasp for air. Seeing this, Piccolo sprung towards Orion, his fists ready. Unfortunately, Orion sensed it and dodged, leaving Vegita open for Piccolo's attack.   
  
"Fool!" Vegita cried as Piccolo slammed into him. Piccolo grunted and blurred out of sight, returning for Orion.   
  
Goku watched as Orion fought with the Namek. They were both moving too fast to be seen with the naked eye, but he could sense their whereabouts. He struggled to get to his feet, but his body would respond with unbearable pain. He stifled a cry and fell to the ground with a thud.   
  
Vegita painfully lifted his body off the ground and turned to see his son approaching Natalie cautiously. He scanned her ki, sensing that it had lost the evil undertones it had possessed only moments before. His mind raced. He recalled the battle several months ago, when they had met Orion for the first time. His head suddenly snapped up as he heard a shrill cry. He spun around and faced a gruesome scene. Orion was still in attack position while Piccolo lay in a pool of purple blood, his left arm seared off and lying on the ground next to him. His stomach was gashed open and there were several burn marks on his body. His chest heaved as he struggled to breathe.   
  
"You fool. Don't you know who you're against?" Orion sneered. The Namek didn't even look up, but clenched his fists as a wave of pain shot through him. Suddenly, Vegita's senses perked up and he felt an approaching power. Before he could react, a ki blast soared toward them, hitting Orion square in the back. The warrior fell forward, and he barely managed to regain his balance as another one flew past. He spun around and looked on in rage as a boy floated to the ground, landing with a soft thud and getting into attack form. Orion raised an eyebrow, as the boy looked vaguely familiar.   
  
"I thought you were dead. I should have known." The boy said, smirking.   
  
"Hmph." Orion muttered as he folded his arms. "Looks like you are indeed as stupid as you look." He commented.  
  
"Goten!" a voice cried. Orion turned to face Trunks, who was also standing in fighting position. He growled in annoyance.   
  
"Maybe I should just get rid of them now before they start to really bother me." Orion thought to himself. He began to power up, shaking the ground beneath him. He watched as Goten ran toward the purple haired boy. "Insignificant boy. He's probably trying to flee." Orion thought.   
  
Goten ran over to where Trunks was standing, breathing heavily. He stopped and looked at his friend with a glint in his eye. Trunks nodded, as if he understood completely. Vegita looked on as Goten and Trunks got into position, standing about five feet apart. He smirked as he realized what they were planning.   
  
"You ready?" Goten said, looking at his friend reassuringly. Trunks just nodded firmly and bent his back a bit in anticipation. Then, it began. Trunks' blood rushed as he moved gracefully. It had been a while since the last time they had done this. A drop of sweat ran down his chin as me made sure to keep his body steady. The two boys mirrored each other and performed a series of movements, finally raising their hands above their heads and leaning inward toward each other.   
  
"FUSION!" they both shouted simultaneously. In a flash of bright white light, the two fused together, forming a new, more powerful being. When the light dulled and faded away, there stood Gotenks.   
  
Orion looked at the new warrior, confusion written all over his face. Where there had once been two boys, one stood in their place. Gotenks was a combination of the two Saiyan's heights, with jet-black hair and purple streaks down the sides. He was wearing a tight black tank top and loose, orange pants with a long, blue piece of cloth tied around his waist as a belt. His boots were black and his pants were tucked sloppily into the rims.  
  
Gotenks smirked at Orion, clenching his fists in preparation. He loved the feeling of raw power as it surged through his veins. His ki flared and a golden aura surrounded his body.   
  
Orion smiled to himself. "Well at least I'll be able to have some fun this time around." He thought as he expanded his ki. His spiky blonde hair blew in the wind created by the surge in power. He let out a yell as energy swirled around him. Gotenks lunged toward the warrior, preparing to hit him in the face. Orion, who's senses had increased along with his power, dodged easily and retaliated by hurling his own fist towards the fused Saiyan's back. Gotenks blurred out of sight and reappeared behind the surprised Orion, sending a massive ki blast toward him. The energy exploded on contact, uprooting nearby trees and forcing debris into the atmosphere. Chunks of land flew outward, striking Vegita and narrowly missing Gotenks himself. When the dust settled, Orion stood, breathing heavily. His hands were singed from his successful attempt to block the blast. Gotenks growled in anger and prepared to attack once again.   
  
Meanwhile, Vegita watched in awe. He hadn't seen Trunks and Goten fuse in several years, and they had since increased their strength a thousand fold. Goku moaned in pain, grabbing Vegita's attention. He grunted and walked to the fallen warrior.   
  
"What's the matter, Kakarott? Surely he hasn't beaten you already?" he said cockily. Goku looked up at Vegita, gritting his teeth in pain.   
  
"Heh. Always the same." Goku muttered to the Saiyan prince. Vegita crossed his arms. "He has incredible accuracy. It's like he knew just where to hit me to bring me down." Goku continued.   
  
"Just go super Saiyan, fool. It replenishes your strength and might mend broken bones." Vegita scoffed. Goku clenched fists, trying desperately to increase his power. Unfortunately, his injury was making it difficult. He thought back on all of the things that had taken place throughout his life. He remembered when his brother Raditz had come to earth and kidnapped his son in an attempt to get to his weak point. He though back on the time Vegita and Nappa arrived on earth, destroying everything in sight for their own entertainment, how Freeza had killed so many innocent lives out of fear for his position. All the memories came flooding back, enraging the Saiyan. Suddenly, his hair flashed gold and his eyes green. His power jumped erratically and he sprung to his feet.   
  
"Man that feels better." Goku said, cracking his knuckles and flexing his muscles. His eyes then wandered over to where Piccolo lay, barely alive. "Oh, no!" he said, racing over to the fallen Namek. He looked down in sorrow as Piccolo winced in pain. "Piccolo!" Goku cried.   
"Hey..." Piccolo said, forcing a grin that bore his fangs. Suddenly, the moment of peace was shattered as a ki blast surged past them, incinerating the ground five feet away from where they stood. Goku, who was still in Super Saiyan form, and Vegita turned around and saw Gotenks finishing off a blast. He shot them an apologetic look and redirected his attention to Orion. "Goku..." Piccolo muttered. Goku looked back down to the Namek.   
  
"Sorry...I couldn't help." he said, struggling for words. Piccolo emitted a sound that was mixed between a cough and a laugh.   
  
"No...don't be sorry..." Piccolo replied. He leaned his head over and coughed up blood. "Just make sure..." he broke off, his chest heaving. "Just make sure that he dies this time." He finished, blinking several times, until his blinking came to a stop and his body went limp. Goku stood in disbelief as Piccolo died before his eyes. He forced himself to look away from the grisly scene and turn to face Orion.   
  
"That bastard is going down." Goku said in a low tone. Vegita looked at Goku in surprise as the third class Saiyan hurled towards Orion. His anger was his fuel as he slammed into Orion's body. Orion spun around in fury and narrowly missed Goku's ki blast as it screamed past his face. Goku fired a kamehameha at him, sending his massive blast towards Orion's body. Gotenks jumped out of the way, just as the blast hit. Smoke rose into the sky, surrounding the area. When it cleared, Orion was nowhere to be seen.   
  
"Huh?" Vegita said, looking around. "No way you could've gotten him in one hit." He continued, trying to sense Orion's ki. Suddenly, he sensed a presence behind him. "Watch out!" he said, knocking Goku out of the way just as Orion's immensely powerful blast shot past. Orion grumbled angrily and fired again, missing. Goku and Vegita did their best to avoid all of the attacks, but they were beginning to tire. Gotenks joined in and fired multiple, rapid blasts at Orion, missing for the most part, but managing to get in a few hits every now and then. Orion was getting bored with this and decided to end the fight once and for all. He exploded in energy, sending the three fighters flying backward at neck-breaking speed. They hit the ground and skidded painfully for several feet before finally coming to a stop. Suddenly, a shrill cry rang out. The three looked around to discover Natalie, grasping her head in pain. Gotenks immediately flew to her whereabouts, stopping a good ten feet away from her. She was struggling to breathe and was having trouble keeping her ki under control. It would jump dramatically, only to soar back down to where it had just been. She looked up at the fused Saiyan, puzzled. She had never seen Trunks and Goten fuse before, so she had no idea of who this new person was. Instinctively, she sprung to her feet and attacked, slamming her fist into his chest. Gotenks put up a ki shield to protect himself from any of her hits. She ran towards him, attempting to slam into him, but was thrown back by the ki shield. She looked up, confused. She was obviously extremely irrational. The ground was trembling violently as a result in the enormous surge of Orion's power. Natalie looked in his direction, cowering in fear when she felt his ki. Gotenks blurred next to her, grabbing her arm. She looked up at him, wide eyed.   
  
"Natalie it's me -er - us." He said. She cocked her head to the side. "Gotenks. Trunks and Goten. Fused." He said, trying to explain, and doing a bad job. Vegita and Goku were watching from a distance, trying to lift their battered bodies off the ground.  
  
"What is that fool doing?" Vegita hissed. "That damn girl has been nothing but trouble ever since she ran into Trunks."  
  
"Vegita I think we have more important things to worry about." Goku said. As if on cue, Orion turned, looking at Gotenks with a positively lethal look on his face. If looks could kill, Gotenks would already be at King Kai's. Gotenks sensed Orion's ki and spun around just in time to see a tremendous blast heading straight for him. He jumped out of the way just in the nick of time. Suddenly, his stomach knotted up when he heard a cry of terror. He looked up to see Natalie being engulfed in the energy. She raised her hands to shield her face, just as the blast exploded, threatening to throw everyone off their feet with it's enormous force.   
  
"NO!" Gotenks shouted, trying to keep his balance. When the energy dissipated, a badly injured Natalie fell to the ground, breathing heavily. There were singe marks all over her body and her clothes were shredded in many places. Orion observed the fallen girl with wide eyes as he realized what had happened. Gotenks became enraged and went on a suicide rampage, attacking Orion head on. Vegita and Goku watched in surprise as Gotenks actually got some blows in without falling victim to Orion's wrath. A low moan escaped Natalie's mouth as she struggled to sit up. Goku raced over to tend to the girl while Vegita stood with his arms crossed, glaring.   
  
"Are you okay?" Goku asked, waving a hand in front of her. She looked up at him with a perplexed expression on her face. Suddenly, a stray blast whizzed past the two, exploding on impact just feet away from where they stood. Natalie looked over while Gotenks and Orion fought furiously. Orion delivered a punishing blow to Gotenks' face, sending a light ki blast along with his fist. Gotenks retaliated by swooping around and clamping his fists together, hurling them into Orion's back. They were moving so fast that Natalie was having extreme difficulty following their moves. She could sense as they would come together at blinding speed, clashing, and then speeding away once again. She winced as Goku checked her burn marks. "Those look pretty bad." He said, examining her arm. Vegita blurred over to the two.  
  
"What are you doing, Kakarott? The girl can take care of herself. Besides, this is all her fault." He spat, crossing his arms in annoyance. Natalie shot him a glare. "What are you looking at?" he asked menacingly. Suddenly, something hit him on the back of the neck, hard. He fell forward, using his hands to propel him into the air where he did a flip and landed on his feet. He spun around to see Orion giving Goku a beating. "What the -?" he broke off, looking over to where Gotenks and Orion had just fought, observing Trunks and Goten lying on the ground, badly inured. "Damn..." he muttered under his breath, flying over to where the two lay. "Get up, boy." He said, kicking his son lightly in the side. Trunks moaned and forced himself onto his knees. He put his hand to his forehead and looked up at Vegita.   
  
"Dad?" he said, squinting. Even though the sky was dark, Orion's ki was a brilliant white color and was painful to stare at after closing your eyes for too long.   
  
"What do you two think you are doing?" He said. "Get up, now!" Trunks obeyed, reaching over to help Goten up. The three then turned to see Goku bet beaten up badly by Orion. When Goku had fallen, Orion charged the three standing warriors, hurling his fist into Goten's stomach before he could react. He spit up some blood, clutching his stomach in pain. Angered, Vegita attempted to plant his foot into Orion's chest, but missed. Orion grabbed Vegita's ankle and hurled him into the sky, following up with a strong ki blast to his mid-section. Trunks reacted by putting Orion in a chokehold, powering up a blast in his free hand. Orion shouted in anger, causing his aura to expand, forcing Trunks off of him and throwing the Saiyan back. Just as he caught his balance, Trunks was presented with a Tsumono blast straight to his face (In cast you forgot, the Tsumono is one of Orion's attacks from Cosmic Crisis 1). He fell backwards, crying out in pain. Goten managed to get to his feet, powering up a Kamehameha, but was interrupted by Orion's fist in the process, causing him to lose the attack.  
  
Natalie, who was watching from a distance, was growing very angry. She saw Orion throw Trunks back, sending a blast directly into his chest. She screamed in rage and powered up her ki, causing Orion's aura to be dwarfed by the light coming from the girl. Unfortunately, he was too busy fighting the Saiyans to notice. Natalie attacked Orion with full force, slamming her own body into his to knock him off balance, causing his powerful beam to miss its target, Trunks. She grabbed him by the back of the neck and jumped into the air, slamming her feet into his back. She continued to beat on him until his energy exploded outward, sending the girl flying. She slammed into an unsuspecting Vegita, knocking them both to the ground. The startled Saiyan prince threw Natalie off of him, growling in irritation. Natalie wasted no time, powering up again and going for Orion once more. He became irritated with her and put up a ki shield, causing her to bounce back. After several attempts, she became infuriated and clenched her fists, glaring at him. Her aura began to flare, growing more intent as she continued to increase her power. The ground shook and everyone struggled to keep their balance as her rage intensified. With one final cry, she lunged toward Orion, breaking through his ki shield with no effort and delivering an implausible blow to his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Trunks, Goten, and Vegita watched in astonishment as the girl fought furiously. Her eyes were focused and her body was agile, concentrating on nothing more than killing. Her Saiyan instincts were kicking in as she swooped around gracefully, knocking Orion back and forth between her blows. Without warning, her hair flashed gold, then returned to brown just as quickly. Vegita stared in disbelief.   
  
"What? Surely that was an illusion." He said to himself, his eyes wide as Natalie continued to channel more energy into her attacks. Orion knocked her back, causing her to hit the ground hard from her momentum. She sprung to her feet, preparing to attack again, when Orion held a sphere of pulsating energy in his hands, preparing to hurl it towards its next victim. Natalie got into stance, ready to fend off the blast, when Orion shot it towards Vegita, catching the Saiyan off guard. Natalie watched in horror as the beam sliced through his chest, narrowly missing Trunks as well. Vegita looked at Natalie with a stunned expression before falling backward, landing next to Goten's feet. Orion laughed evilly as Vegita spat up a massive amount of blood before his ki flared one last time and his body went limp. As Vegita's face lingered in her thoughts and Orion's laugh rang in her ears, Natalie stood, trembling violently. Trunks closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, letting out a loud cry as he powered up his ki, sending a shock wave outwards, knocking over Goten and blowing Vegita's limp body back a few yards. However, Natalie stood, unmoving. Her body had gone into shock, preventing her from reacting to the situation. Her stare then ceased and she slowly tilted her head upward until she was looking into the starry sky. With a sharp inhale, she screamed the shrillest cry to ever escape her lungs. Trunks and Goten stared at the girl as ominous clouds formed overhead and the ground trembled. When she had run out of air, she snapped her head back down at eye-level, narrowing her eyes and glaring at Orion as nothing showed but the whites of her eyes. Suddenly, her hair flashed gold this time, lingering for a few seconds before fading again, returning to its familiar brown hue. She clenched her fists so intently that her fingernails dug into her skin. Her muscles tightened and every nerve in her body tingled. Her hair then began to rise off of her neck into the air as if a lightning bolt were about to strike. There was an awkward silence as she forced her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. Her aura was sucked inward, absorbing into her body and surging through her veins as she struggled to stay standing. The energy pulsated as her body glowed a brilliant blue color. Then, without warning, her hair flashed gold once again, this time spiking outward to the very tip of the soft strands, causing her ponytail to fall out. Trunks and Goten watched in awe as the girl transformed from the gentle Natalie that they knew to the enraged Super Saiyan. Natalie was a Super Saiyan! When her transformation was complete, she opened her eyes, glaring at Orion with green eyes. Her tail had turned a golden color as well, and had grown a few inches in length. Blurring out of sight, she attacked head-on, knocking Orion back a good twenty feet as she slammed her fist into his chest. He struggled for air as she dove at him again, pummeling him with her fists as her ki flared a blue light. Suddenly, he grabbed her by the neck and forced her to the ground, choking her. She struggled to get free, but he held his grip strong. Not wasting a moment's time, Trunks charged Orion, knocking him back, losing his grip on the girl. She coughed and gasped for air but immediately got onto her feet and prepared to attack again. All three warriors were at the Super Saiyan stage, with brilliant golden hair and extreme fighting power. As Orion retaliated, lunging toward the group, Goten fired an enormous blast. The power exploded as soon as it made contact, but did little damage to Orion's body. Enraged, he fired again, but it bounced away harmlessly. Orion's menacing laugh was then heard, reverberating around the area. When the light faded, Orion was seen, surrounded by a scarlet aura, not of his own. He then brought forth a small object, glinting in the light of the surrounding ki's.   
  
"So you fools want to play games?" He laughed, charging a blast. "Then let's play." He said, extending his arms as the energy surged through his veins. He fired, throwing the power towards the three, intending to cause deadly results.   
  
"No!" Natalie cried, leaping forth. She deflected the blast away from her friends, sending it flying into the atmosphere. Angered, Orion fired again, deriving more and more power from the small, jet black object floating a foot in front of his chest. Natalie once again forced the blast back, causing it to explode behind Orion. His hair whipped in the wind created by the energy as he narrowed his eyes and smiled evilly. He extended his index finger and pointed it towards the girl, sending a mild blast towards her. But instead of bouncing back, it engulfed her body, surrounding and enveloping her. She cried out as she lost all control of her own body. He then pointed to the sky, causing her body to be propelled upward at blinding speed. When she was a good 500 feet above the earth, Orion brought his hand down, sending her hurling towards the ground. She screamed as she plummeted to what seemed to be her death, when Trunks cried out for Orion to stop. The warrior just laughed and knocked him back telekinetically. Just as Natalie was about to hit the ground, Orion forced her to stop. She hung a few feet above the ground as she struggled to break free. Trunks and Goten fired a double ki blast to their opponent in a desperate attempt to break his concentration, but he remained unfazed. He then sent Natalie flying upward again, this time stopping shorter than he had last time. He laughed at her fate and sent her falling once more. This time, she slammed into the ground, forming a crater about ten feet in diameter and three feet deep. Dust and debris shot outward, pelting Trunks and Goten. When the dust had mostly cleared, Natalie was seen lying on her back with her head facing the sky. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises and blood trickled from her lips.   
  
"Natalie!" Trunks cried, rushing over to where she lay, barely conscious. Before he could reach her though, he was knocked back by Orion. He became furious with the death of his father and the fall of Natalie that he powered up considerable and rushed Orion. However, Orion drew more energy from the little black crystal and shot him back effortlessly. Seeing the crystal to be the source of his new power, Trunks attempted to knock it away. Orion just dodged and sent a ki blast flying.   
  
"No, no, no." he said, laughing as he blasted Trunks again, who cried out in pain. While Orion was distracted, Goten was tending to Natalie. She moaned and coughed up a mouthful of blood, almost choking as a result. Her tail twitched and she struggled to sit up. Goten reached down to help her but she declined.  
  
"You...shouldn't have come." She muttered. "Now, because of me, Vegita is -" she broke off to cough up a little more blood. "Vegita is dead." She finished. Tears welled up in her eyes and overflowed, running down her cheeks and splashing in the dust.   
  
"No, Natalie! It wasn't your fault." Goten said. "It was Orion."  
  
"You don't understand!" she said, raising her voice as more tears flowed. "It's all because of me that Orion came here in the first place." She coughed once more, crying out in pain as her body trembled. "I will leave here...take Orion...with me..." she broke off, falling on the ground.   
  
"No! No, don't do this!" Goten cried. "Natalie hang on, please!" he shook her gently, trying to keep her conscious. If she passed out, she might never wake up...  
  
Trunks dodged one of Orion's blasts, counter-attacking with a blast of his own. He was getting nowhere, fast. If he didn't do something soon, Orion would finish him off. His heart beet furiously as his body worked overtime and his golden hair flashed in the night sky as he continued to battle the fierce Orion. 


	12. Chapter 12

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 12 - Unexpected Company  
  
  
Natalie's senses were starting to dull, she could feel it. She was trying to hang on but she was slowly slipping away. She could sense Goten's presence next to her. She wished they hadn't come. Orion would have just taken her and left, not even bothering to look back. She winced as pain shot through her body like a thousand dull knives stabbing her from all angles. Even breathing was painful.   
  
Goten watched as Natalie struggled to take in another breath. He wished desperately that he had a senzu bean, but they had run out after Goku overextended himself during training one afternoon. He wanted to help Trunks, but he knew that he couldn't leave Natalie out in the open, for fear that Orion would get to her. His blood pressure was rising as he watched the evil look of pleasure on Orion's face. He was enjoying this.   
  
"Burning Attack!" Trunks cried, using one of his last reserves in attempt to get Orion down, even if for a second. However, it didn't seem to be effective. Trunks needed to find a way to get that black crystal from him. Maybe then he would be able to be defeated.  
  
Seeing that Trunks didn't have much left, Goten jumped in to take his place, leaving Trunks free to join Natalie's side. He looked to make sure that Orion wasn't looking and picked up Natalie's limp body, taking off into the air for a safer place. Suddenly, an enormous flash of light knocked him off balance and he dropped Natalie by mistake. Just as he was about to go after her, the light dimmed and there stood a young girl, about the age of five or six, holding the Natalie in her arms. Trunks immediately got into a defensive stance.  
  
"Who are you?" he demanded. The girl had purple, shoulder length hair that resembled Trunks' with green eyes. She was wearing an outfit that was almost identical to Natalie's: a black tank top and black nylon training pants. Trunks looked absolutely puzzled. The girl stared into Trunks' eyes intently, floating to the ground and setting Natalie's body down gently. Trunks floated down as well, joining her, and immediately went for Natalie. The girl, however, stopped him. "What are you doing!?" Trunks said, raising his voice. She got onto her knees and placed her palm on Natalie's forehead. Trunks tried to stop the girl, but she knocked him back. She suddenly grew a bright aura and her hand glowed brightly as she concentrated. The light caught Orion's attention and he looked up from his fight with Goten.   
  
"What the -?" he said in a low tone. Goten looked up as well, his eyes widening when he saw the scene. Trunks stood in disbelief as the strange girl healed Natalie right before his eyes. After a few minutes, Natalie's eyes fluttered open and she looked around confusedly. She spotted the girl almost immediately and looked up at her in question.   
  
"Who -?" she broke off. Natalie slowly stood up and joined Trunks' side. The girl faced the couple and looked at them with a slight smile on her face. She then ran up and embraced the two. Natalie and Trunks looked at each other with surprised looks on their faces. Suddenly, a blast knocked them forward, sending them flying in different directions. Trunks landed on the ground with a thud but sprang to his feet and spun around. There stood Orion with a furious expression.   
  
"And just who is THIS?" he shouted, folding his arms and glancing at the girl. She cowered in fear when she saw him and he laughed menacingly. "Well whoever you are, you made a fatal mistake." He said and formed a ki blast in his hands. Trunks watched in horror as he hurled it towards the helpless girl. She screamed as the blast surrounded her and exploded. Suddenly, the energy shot outwards and away from her body as her aura formed a shield around her. Orion stood, exasperated. "You foolish girl!" he shouted, firing at her again. His attack bounced away harmlessly, further infuriating him. This time, she fired at him, sending him backward a few feet. Taking advantage of his temporary vulnerability, she lunged forward and pummeled him with her tiny fists. He suddenly grabbed her arms and grasped her wrists in his hands, rendering her helpless. He then began to channel massive amounts of power through his arms and towards her body.   
  
"NO!" Natalie cried, shooting over to where Orion stood and ramming her body into his, causing him to lose his grip on the girl. Natalie thrusted her fist into Orion's chest with all her might, causing him to sputter and cough up a mouthful of blood. She merely dodged when he tried to grab her by the arm, sending her fists flying. After a few minutes of beating on his body, Natalie collapsed, her chest heaving and beads of sweat dripping down the side of her face and landing on the dusty ground. Orion lay a few feet away from her, badly injured. He had wounds on many parts of his body, and his armor was shattered in a few places. Everyone moved back as the warrior struggled to lift his body off of the ground.   
  
"You..." Orion began. He paused to spit some blood onto the ground. "You will be sorry..." he trailed off. Trunks and Goten watched the warrior intently while Natalie lifted herself up. The mysterious little girl was standing by herself a few feet away from the others. "You will be...SORRY!" Orion suddenly shouted, powering up substantially and knocking everyone off of their feet. To their horror, Orion began to transform. His menacing laugh grew deeper and his muscles bulged. His eyes were red with fury and his spiky blonde hair stood on end. "You Saiyans are a very foolish race." He said, his voice booming. Natalie inhaled sharply and took a step back as he looked at her with an evil grin on his face. "As for you Carina..." he said, powering up a tremendous blast. The skies darkened and a gust of wind screamed past them.   
  
"A..." Natalie started, her soprano voice reverberating around the area as the ground trembled violently. Orion just laughed at her. "Ki...yah..." she continued. Orion suddenly brought his fist down and aimed towards her, sending the blinding blast of energy towards her.  
  
Natalie thought to herself.   
  
"MEH!" Natalie screamed, sending her counterattack towards the warrior. The two masses collided with amazing force and sent a shock wave outward, obliterating everything within a two-mile radius with the exception of the warriors. Orion's blast was beginning to overtake hers, and it got ominously closer to its victim. Suddenly, the young purple-haired girl screamed in pain and began to flicker in and out of sight.   
  
"What the -!?" Trunks shouted. Natalie continued to pour more energy into her attack, forcing Orion's blast back a few feet. The girl then returned to normal. Orion then started yelling, sending his blast closer to Natalie. Soon his beam was mere feet away from her, and the strange little girl had almost faded out of existence.  
  
"That girl..." Trunks started. He charged a blast in his hands and clasped his hands together to condense it until it was the size of a soccer ball. "HYAA!" he shouted, hurling it towards Orion's back. The blast impacted with his armor, shattering it. Orion screamed in rage but didn't dare take his focus off of the girl. Seeing him to be weakened, the strange little girl's ki glowed intensely as she opened her mouth to speak.   
  
"Akiyah..." she started. Natalie looked at her in wide-eyed confusion. "Meh!" the girl screamed, mirroring Natalie's actions. The combined blasts threw Orion back and he dug his feet into the ground, using the last of his energy to hold them off.   
  
"SUPERNOVA!" the two girls screamed in unison. Trunks and Goten dug their hands and feet into the ground to keep from being ripped off their feet by the inconceivable amount of raw power radiating from the girls. Orion used the last of his reserves to fend off the attack, but his attempts proved to be useless as the energy slammed into his body. Natalie and the girl closed their eyes and sent a superabundance of energy towards Orion's body. Orion felt as if a thousand freight trains had struck him all at once from different directions. He screamed in pain as his armor was torn off of his body and the attack engulfed him, surging in and out of his form in a wavelike fashion. Then, with his last breath, he screamed, "CARINA!" and then powered down, allowing himself to be vaporized instantly. Natalie and the little girl ended their attacks and fell to the ground. They both had pounding headaches and could hear their blood rushing in their ears. They fought to keep conscious, taking in huge amounts of oxygen to feed their exhausted bodies. Trunks and Goten immediately raced over to where they lay. Goten felt the little girl's forehead, realizing that it was extremely warm. They were both flushed and were trying to calm their overextended nerves down to being stable enough to function again. Trunks and Goten didn't dare channel energy into the girls, for fear of overloading their already maxed-out bodies. Natalie winced in pain and turned her head to cough up a little blood. She had severely maxed out her power, causing possible internal damage to herself. The little girl was quite shaken up too. Her nerves were trembling violently and she was fading out of consciousness. She opened her eyes for one moment, looking into the eyes of the purple-haired boy, and then succumbing to convulsions once again.  
  
"They overextended their ki's. Goten we have to get them home, NOW!" Trunks said, lifting Natalie's body and rocketing into the air. Goten grabbed the little girl and followed, blazing across the night sky. Trunks couldn't focus on anything except getting Natalie to safety. His eyes burned as he screamed through the air with brilliant speed, but he pressed on. His father had once been killed as a result of pushing the limits, and he didn't want this to happen to her. He looked back for a fleeting moment, seeing Goten holding the girl in his arms. Who was she, and why did she seem so familiar to him? She even resembled him, in a way, but he swore that he had never seen her before. Tears formed in his eyes as he thought about the deaths of his father and Goku. He then spotted the spherical roof of the Capsule Corporation and increased his speed, his aura flaring. Natalie's hair faded from super Saiyan gold back to its familiar brown color. NO! This wasn't supposed to happen! Trunks didn't even bother opening the window and crashed through it, sending glass flying. He raced through the hallways, shouting for his mother as he shot down corridors. Bulma had fallen asleep on the sofa and awakened with a start when she heard her son's cries. She sprang to her feet immediately and followed the voice. Trunks came to the medical wing and forced a door open, almost ripping it out of its frame as he hurried to get Natalie into the room. He placed Natalie on one bed while Goten set her on another one across the room. Bulma came zipping into the room, running a hair through her bluish green hair.   
  
"Oh god. What happened here!?" she cried frantically. Words didn't come to Trunks' mouth so he just pointed a trembling finger in Natalie's direction. "And who is that girl over there?" Bulma asked. "These are serious inflictions. They need to be put into a rejuvenation tank immediately." She said, running down the hallway. Trunks and Goten didn't think twice and grabbed the girls, following Bulma. When they reached the large room, Trunks kicked down the door and inserted Natalie into one of the tanks, as did Goten with the girl. In a panic, they began to press a series of random buttons in attempt to get them up and running.  
  
"Trunks! Goten! Leave this up to me, will you!?" Bulma cried, pushing them away from the control panels. Natalie suddenly became conscious and realized that she was about to be submerged in water. She then noticed the little girl in the tank next to hers. All of her thoughts came flooding back at once, causing her to hyperventilate in a panic. Tears filled her eyes as she tensed up in attempt to keep herself under control.   
  
She thought. She was afraid for her life, as well as everyone around her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and forced her eyes open to see Trunks standing in front of her with a look of fear on his face.   
  
"Trunks! Move out of the way so we can stabilize her!" Natalie could faintly hear Bulma's frantic cries. Everything seemed so far away. Was she going to die? 


	13. Chapter 13

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 13 - The Tenth Saiyan   
  
  
All she could see was darkness, for miles and miles, or what she perceived as miles. It seemed to go on forever and it weighed on her like a blanket.   
  
she thought, She was frightened and confused. She was trapped within herself, unable to move and barely able to think clearly. She could hear Bulma's soothing voice reverberate around the area. There was then a bright flash of light, causing Natalie to raise her arms over her face and crouch down to protect herself. After a few seconds, she slowly let her arms drop and she looked in front of her. There stood a little girl with purple hair. She was wearing clothing almost identical to hers and even had the same green eyes.   
  
"Who are you?" she asked, stepping forward, as she didn't see the girl a threat. The girl just stared blankly into Natalie's eyes. She blinked a couple of times and then looked as if she had just snapped out of a trance.   
  
"Mommy?" the girl said, reaching out for Natalie.   
  
"Huh?" Natalie said, producing a look of utter confusion.   
  
"Mommy!" the girl cried, rushing over and embracing Natalie. The Sidra-jin girl just sighed and looked up into the black nothingness, placing her hand on the girl's back. Suddenly, something hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt as if someone had just bashed her head in with a cement block. The little girl gasped and stepped back, looking at the doubled over Natalie in total fear.   
  
Goten and Trunks watched on as Natalie's heartbeat jumped erratically on the heart monitor. But this time, it didn't go back down. Trunks jumped up but Goten stopped him.  
  
"Trunks, don't. She'll pull through, you know it." He said reassuringly. Trunks clenched his fists and paced the room.   
  
"Goten why are we just sitting here? We can help her. And what of that girl over there? We don't even know who she is!" Trunks cried, throwing his fist towards her and pointing. Goten could see that he was using the last of his will to keep from exploding.   
  
"Let's go ask your mom about the Dragon Balls. We need to wish our dads and Piccolo back too." Goten said, getting up and leaving the room. Trunks let out a sigh and placed his hands on the glass of Natalie's rejuvenation tank. "Trunks come on!" Goten called down the hall. Trunks turned away and followed his friend, looking back at Natalie one last time. He ran down the corridors to the living quarters. He could hear Goten and his mother talking in the main living area.   
  
"We have five of the balls here at Capsule Corp. but you'll have to use the dragon radar to find the other two." Bulma said, handing Goten the locating device. Trunks growled in frustration and tore the radar from Goten's hands.   
  
Goten thought to himself as he launched into the air after Trunks. They both blazed out of Capsule Corp. and into the sky. The sun was beginning to rise, turning the sky a brilliant orange color. The two young Saiyans were already worn out from the battle, as well as lack of sleep. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into any troubles on their journey.   
  
  
  
Natalie stirred in the rejuvenation tank, causing oxygen bubbles to float to the surface of the water. Her heart rate had slowed down to normal but she was still trapped in her own body. Who was that girl? And why was she here? She had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She called out for someone, but her voice just echoed infinitely around the area. It was as if she were trapped in a void.  
  
"Mom?" she cried. Her mother was her last hope. Perhaps she would be able to explain things to her.  
  
"I'm right here." A soothing voice said. It was Queen Melina, her mother.   
  
"Mother!?" Natalie said. "Mother please help me. I don't know where I am."   
  
"You're safe, dear. There is no need to worry. You are just in the process of recovering." Melina replied.   
  
"Who is the purple haired girl?" Natalie continued. Melina's form appeared in front of her, wearing her long gown and her flowing golden hair waving around her.   
  
"You will find out soon enough. Do not worry, for she is on our side." Her mother replied, smiling. Natalie sighed in frustration. She just wanted to be out of this place. "I know you are frustrated, but everything has its time. I must go now." Melina continued. She leaned forward and kissed her daughter on the forehead before disappearing in a flash of light. The girl cried out in desperation but was met with nothing. Suddenly, a strange sensation took over her body and she felt like she was in the gravity room under 100 times normal gravity. She felt so heavy, but she could still move around freely. Then, as quick as it came, the feeling washed ver her, leaving her head spinning. Natalie opened her eyes and realized that she was back in her body again.   
  
I must be healed. Natalie thought.   
  
Bulma was working in the lab when she heard the bleeping sound of the tank, signaling that someone was finished. She ran into the room and turned off the machine, draining the water and shutting it down. Natalie, who had been previously free-floating in the water, fell to the ground in a heap. The oxygen mask and the two wires connected to her temples disconnected themselves and returned back to their resting places. Bulma opened the door and helped the girl out of the tank.   
  
"Are you okay?" Bulma asked, handing Natalie a towel. Natalie felt so light-headed now, as if she weighed less than a feather.   
  
"I'm okay." She replied, feeling extremely fatigued. Her power level was just high enough to keep her alive, but was nothing more. Natalie then glanced over at the tank with the little girl in it. She was almost finished as well. Natalie shivered and pulled the towel over her body, which was covered only in wet clothing that was torn to shreds. "Where is Trunks?" she said, immediately noticing his absence  
.   
"He went with Goten to find the Dragon Balls." Bulma replied. Natalie then remembered that Vegita and Goku had been killed. Bulma didn't even seem to care, though. Natalie wondered if she even knew. Suddenly the peace was shattered when the second tank bleeped, announcing that it had finished. Bulma proceeded to shut it down just as she had done with Natalie's. The little girl opened her wide green eyes and rubbed them, blinking several times to focus on her surroundings. Bulma and Natalie both facefaulted when they both noticed something very peculiar sprouting from the girl's backside.   
  
"Another tail!?" Bulma cried in exasperation. "Where does this girl come from?" The girl just looked back at her tail curiously and swished it through the air. Natalie then swished hers as well, looking at the girl with her head cocked to the side. Suddenly, Trunks and Goten burst into the room, each with a Dragon Ball in their hands. Trunks carried the three star ball and Goten carried the six star one. They both looked pretty worn out, but not enough to be put into a rejuvenation tank. They immediately spotted the purple-haired girl, who now sported a nice, long Saiyan tail. Trunks dropped the ball onto his foot while Goten fell over. The little girl just chuckled and her green eyes lit up. Meanwhile, Bulma had burst into tears. Natalie produced a questioning look.   
  
"Don't you understand?" Bulma said between sobs. "Don't you see why this girl has a tail?" she continued to cry. "She's a Saiyan, that's why!"  
  
"Yeah...we know Bulma." Natalie said.   
  
"Look at her!" Bulma shouted, pointing a finger at the highly amused girl. "Has the question of her HERITAGE ever dawned on you?" Everyone was looking at Bulma as if she had grown another head. Soon, it all came together. She had to be the offspring of either Goten or Trunks, and her appearance gave away which of the two was her father. Trunks suddenly turned a deep shade of crimson and hid his face from everyone in the room. Natalie then seemed to choke on her own words as she finally realized why the girl saw her as "mommy". This was her daughter!  
  
"Natalie is there something wrong?" Bulma asked, seeing that Natalie was obviously distressed. The Sidran girl nodded her head vigorously and pointed to Trunks, and then back at herself. Seeing the connection between the three of them, Bulma and Goten immediately fell over and their eyes twitched. Natalie and Trunks weren't sure exactly how to react, and the little girl just looked on with a smile on her face. 


	14. Chapter 14

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion   
  
Chapter 14 - Kira  
  
  
  
The small girl felt the weight of everyone's eyes pressing on her. Not knowing what else to do, she nonchalantly put her hand on the back of her head and looked around the room. Maybe revealing her origins wasn't the best thing to do. However there was nothing more she could do at the moment. Natalie and Trunks were obviously to shocked to say anything, and Bulma looked at her with curiosity and resentment combined. The girl desperately wanted to run away, to get out of there as fast as she could. If it were up to her, she would have never had to come back here in the first place. But then, if she hadn't, there would have been nothing left in the future but a cold, desolate place with almost no traces of life. She knew that if it weren't for her, the future would be grim. But all this weight on her shoulders had the potential to crash down on her. She had taken on so much responsibility for her young age, after all.  
  
"What is your name?" Goten asked, breaking the little girl's concentration and startling her. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't even introduced herself. So, she swallowed her nervousness and forced herself to look up into the boy's eyes.  
  
"My name is Kira." She replied, trying to keep her voice steady. Hundreds of thoughts and ideas raced through her head at light speed. She began to wonder if this was an effect of her travel through time or if it was her own body betraying her.   
  
"Kira..." Bulma whispered. She had a distant look in her eyes. Finally, Natalie gathered enough nerve to speak up.  
  
"I always did like that name." She said softly, a slight smile forming on her lips. Kira's eyes lighted up as she heard her future mother speak. Her voice was comforting. She then realized that she shouldn't be nervous or afraid anymore. After all, this was the family she loved and knew, just years younger. This thought made Kira loosen up. "Well what are we all sitting around for?" Natalie asked, looking at everyone, even Trunks. She and Kira swished their tails casually.   
  
"You're right. We're all exhausted. After all, we've gone a while without a decent night's rest." Trunks spoke, forcing his sore, beaten body off of the floor. Unlike Natalie and Kira, he, as well as Goten, hadn't been healed in a rejuvenation tank after the battle. He knew, though, that there was bound to be a stash of senzu beans around somewhere. Everyone else got the idea and stood up as well, trying to gather their senses. Bulma led the way out of the medical wing and back to the living quarters, where everyone immediately headed for his or her respective rooms. Goten decided to return home as not to worry Chi-Chi. Natalie and Trunks bid their friend goodbye and headed upstairs, mumbling their "good-night's" to each other before departing for their warm, comforting sanctuaries of sleep. Not knowing where else to go, Kira followed Natalie into her room, sitting on the edge of the bed quietly. Natalie was intrigued by the girl, but didn't know what to say to her. The fact that this was her own daughter was strange enough. She wondered what was going to happen between her and Trunks now. Surely they would still be together. Finally, Natalie sat on the opposite side of the bed from Kira and looked at her curiously.   
  
"Kira?" Natalie spoke. Even muttering the name seemed strange. The little girl looked up from fiddling with the drawstrings on her pants, her large green eyes sparkling. "Tell me..." Natalie started, looking down at the floor and playing with a section of her brown hair. "What happened? In the future, I mean." She asked. Kira looked back down at the floor, strands of purple hair falling over her eyes. Natalie saw a single tear fall and splash onto Kira's hand. "If you don't want to talk about it -" Natalie broke off.  
  
"No. It's okay." The girl replied and looked back up at Natalie again. "Orion never died that day." She started. "He had managed to teleport away before he was killed, and then came back many years later, only to wreak vengeance." Natalie was surprised at how much this young girl knew. "He appeared out of nowhere, and took us all by surprise. He-he killed my family right before my eyes. Mom died that day trying to save me. And with her last breath she told me to leave that place and go back in time. Then, before I could even say goodbye, Orion killed her. He killed her right in front of me!" The little girl cried. She was now hysterical. Natalie regretted asking her about the future. "So I became angry. I was so angry and I felt like I could blow up the whole world with one flick of the wrist. But I was still no match for Orion. So I left. I left before he could touch me. Mom came to me in my dreams, and she told me what to do. She said that I was brave and that I could do anything because I was her little princess." The girl said in between sobs. Natalie did just what her instincts told her and scooped up the girl into her arms and held her.   
  
"Everything is going to be fine." Natalie spoke. Surely she would travel back to the future to find everything just right. She held the girl in her arms until they both fell asleep.  
  
  
  
Later that night, Natalie woke with a start. She had been having a nightmare and woke up breathing heavily. She immediately looked around for Kira, and saw her sleeping soundly next to her. Natalie looked down at the girl and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. She looked at the clock and saw that it was about 6:30. Everyone had been sleeping since early that morning when they finally got a chance to rest. Natalie knew that they would be sleeping until the next morning, easily. She sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep after what she had just been through, and stood up. She stretched her sore body, wincing in pain. She then noticed that she was still wearing her shredded clothing, and changed into something almost identical, but clean, and walked towards the bathroom to brush her hair. She noted that her ki was higher as a result of the recent battle and getting some rest. Now if only she could find a senzu bean...  
  
"Natalie?" a voice whispered. Natalie jumped and opened her mouth to scream but someone put a hand over her mouth. Since it was dark and she had no idea of who was attacking her, she did what any normal, frightened female would do. She elbowed the person right in the stomach. She then heard someone gasp for air and double over. Then, much to her dismay, she realized that it was Trunks.   
  
"Oh my gosh! Trunks!" Natalie whispered, trying not to wake Kira. "I'm sorry, I didn't know who you were!" she said, helping him up.   
  
"Heh, it's okay." Trunks whispered back. "After what has happened lately, I'm not surprised." He laughed sarcastically.   
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked him.   
  
"I couldn't sleep, and I heard you moving around, so I decided to see if you wanted to train with me." Trunks offered.   
  
"Wow! Really?" Natalie exclaimed. Her eyes would have lit up if it weren't for the impending darkness. "Sure. Come on, before we wake..." she trailed off. She hoped that the recent discovery wouldn't change things between her and Trunks. They stepped down the stairs carefully, making sure not to wake Bulma and Kira. Finally, they reached the gravity chambers. Since they were in another part of the building, it was safe for them to speak normally and turn on some lights.   
  
"So why were you awake then?" Trunks asked Natalie.  
  
"Oh. I was having a nightmare." She replied. Though, she couldn't remember what it was about. "You?"  
  
"Hmm. Just couldn't sleep." He replied, fiddling with the controls to the gravity machine. Natalie pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail and stretched her muscles to warm them up. She heard the gravity machine power up and then recede to a steady hum. "Ready?" asked Trunks, who had finished stretching himself.   
  
"Yeah." Natalie said, breathing in deeply and then exhaling forcefully. She had to be careful not to overwork herself, since her body wasn't completely finished healing quite yet. First, she and Trunks just sparred lightly, not aiming to physically strike the other, but more to practice dodging. After ten minutes of that, they picked up the pace. Natalie managed to get a few hits in but she could see that Trunks was holding back.  
  
"What." She said in between breaths. "You don't think I can take it?" she continued, smirking at her opponent. Trunks recognized that look in her eyes and decided to give her a little...jolt. Out of nowhere, he powered up and lunged forward, nearly catching the girl off guard. She let out a cry of surprise and narrowed her eyes, looking at Trunks with determination. She dodged his attack and swooped around to his back, bringing her fists towards his midsection. He blurred out of sight and reappeared above her, ready to pounce. She sensed it and narrowly missed his attack. She turned around and crouched down, preparing for whatever he had to offer. She could see a lot of Vegita in him, especially when he was fighting. Trunks smirked and continued. He managed to get some hits in, much to Natalie's distaste. She was already beginning to tire as a result of her earlier exertions during battle.   
  
"Ready to quit?" Trunks asked, coming to a sudden halt.  
  
"Hah!" Natalie scoffed. "You think I'm that weak, do you? Well just for that..." she trailed off and jumped up into the air, powering up a ki blast.   
  
"So you want to play THAT way, do you?" Trunks said, and clenched his fist, gathering energy for a counter-attack. Natalie continued to draw in more energy until she had reached the critical point. Trunks braced himself and was about to throw his attack forward, when all of the sudden, the energy disappeared from Natalie's hands. She looked down at herself in surprise and confusion.   
  
"Huh?" she said, looking up at Trunks.   
  
"Heh. You lost it." Trunks sneered. He then proceeded to blast Natalie. Unfortunately she dodged, fading out of sight and reappearing inches away from Trunks.   
  
"Gotcha." She said, narrowing her eyes. No more than a split second later, Trunks was knocked back by a tremendous blast, which sent him flying into the wall, stunned.   
  
"What the-?" Trunks cried, rubbing the back of his head in total confusion. "You hid your power!" Natalie just smirked and put her hands on her hips proudly. Trunks laughed to himself.  
  
"Dad would be proud of her." He thought as he stood on his feet again. "Where did you learn to do that?" Trunks asked.   
  
"There's a lot you don't know about me, Trunks." Natalie said, placing her hand on his chest and pushing him back a few feet playfully.   
"I guess so." Trunks said, running his hand though his hair. Suddenly, he leapt into the air and came crashing down on Natalie, pinning her to the ground by her arms. "But there's a lot you don't know about me either." He said, looking at her expression of surprise and laughing to himself. Natalie powered up her ki and forced Trunks off of her. She just "hmph-ed" and walked over to the other side of the gravity chamber. "Hah, must have hurt her Saiyan pride." Trunks thought as he walked over to where she was sitting. "Do you still wanna spar?" he asked. She wiped some sweat off her forehead with her shirt and helped herself up.  
  
"Yeah. But this time, no surprises." She replied, getting into stance.  
  
"Fine with me!" Trunks said. "You're the one who started it."  
  
"You sound like your sister." Natalie said, sneering at him. She then lunged forward towards Trunks. He dodged, just as she had anticipated. As he reappeared next to her, she brought her leg around to trip him. He just jumped into the air and threw his fists in her direction. She dodged every one and threw her own fury of kicks and punches his way. They were both moving insanely fast; too fast to be seen by normal humans. But Natalie and Trunks were relying more on their other senses rather than their eyesight, for Vegita had always taught them that your eyes can fool you and therefore, rendering you weak. They could feel each other's ki's burning like intense fires against the cold background of the gravity chamber. Soon, they decided to call it quits for the evening, and headed out. As Natalie was wiping her face off with a towel, she glanced at the control panel.   
  
"Wow, we were under 20 times gravity in there?" she said, looking at the screen with amazement. "I barely noticed it."  
  
"That's because you have grown stronger from the battles with Orion. Saiya-jins tend to do that, you know." He said, slapping her on the back.  
  
"Well if I have any questions about my heritage, I sure know where to look." She said sarcastically. She knew that he got the whole "Saiyan Pride" idea from his father. It made her sad to think about Vegita dying right in front of her face. A horrible image of his limp body lying in front of her continued to stick in her head.  
  
"Is there something wrong, Nat?" Trunks asked, looking at her. Natalie could sense that she had let her guard down, revealing her emotions at the wrong time, and proceeded to bury them and put on a happy face.  
  
"Oh, no! What makes you think so?" she said, smiling.  
  
"Hmm, just a hunch, I guess." Trunks said, and turned around to shut down the gravity machine. Natalie went inside and headed for the kitchen, followed by her purple-haired sparring partner. She had recently remembered that she hadn't eaten in a while, which she was constantly reminded by her growling stomach.  
  
"Man, Nat. You'd better get some food in there before you wake someone up." Trunks joked, slapping Natalie in the stomach. Natalie winced in pain and proceeded to elbow Trunks in the ribs. "Ow, I was kidding!" Trunks cried in protest. As soon as Natalie was within range of the refrigerator, she disappeared into a blur and began to dig through the contents until she came to something she liked.   
  
"Leftover curry chicken." She exclaimed.   
  
"Hey, I was saving that!" Trunks said, reaching for the container.  
  
"I found it first." Natalie teased, jerking the food away from Trunks and throwing it in the microwave.  
  
"Oh, come on. Can't you at least share?" Trunks begged. Natalie thought for a few minutes while the food cooked.  
  
"Nope." She replied. Trunks facefaulted and slapped himself over the head for being beaten by this, this...girl. His dad wouldn't have put up with it, so why should he? Suddenly, his train of thought was broken when the microwave beeped, signaling that the food was ready to be eaten. Natalie removed the container and emptied it's contents onto a plate, much to Trunks' displeasure. The aroma of the food wrapped around his entire face, causing his mouth to water like crazy as he watched Natalie take a bite. Seeing this, she cut off half of her chicken and tossed it to Trunks. "Here, take it before you drool all over the floor." She said. The half Saiyan boy hungrily accepted it and the two of them dug in.  
  
"You know..." Trunks started, pausing to take another bite. "I think this stuff is better when you re-heat it."  
  
"I know." Natalie said. When the two had finished their dinner and cleaned up, Natalie gave Trunks a deceiving look.  
  
"Hey...wait a minute. I know that look!" Trunks cried, but Natalie had already taken off. "The shower's mine! You always get it first!" he called after her. Natalie just laughed and sped up the stairs, almost forgetting that there was anyone else in the house. When she reached the doorway to her room, Trunks grabbed her wrist and pulled her away before she could shut the door.  
  
"Stop!" Natalie cried, trying to break free. She was breathing hard and laughing at the same time.  
  
"I don't think so! It's my turn to get the shower first." Trunks said, holding steady to the struggling girl's wrist. All of the sudden, a figure appeared in the doorway, causing Natalie and Trunks to jump back.  
  
"Kira, my god you scared us." Natalie said, releasing her grip on Trunks' neck and jumping off of his back, much to his relief.  
  
"I'm hungry." The girl whined rubbing her eyes sleepily. Trunks and Natalie looked at each other with dread written all over their faces. Here they were, getting a taste of parenthood, when they weren't even parents! Yet...  
  
"What would you like to eat?" Natalie asked the girl, plastering on a smile and crouching down so their faces were on the same level.  
  
"Ice Cream!" The girl said, her face brightening with hope. Natalie sighed and turned to Trunks.  
  
"Got any?" she asked. Trunks just nodded, not even taking his eyes off of Kira as the girl trotted down the stairs followed by Natalie, and soon enough, himself. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he made his way into the kitchen to see Kira already taking a bite of a relatively large bowl of mint chip ice cream.  
  
"How did you know this was my favorite?" Kira said in between bites. She had "delight" written all over her face.  
  
"It's my favorite, too." Natalie said, sitting down next to the girl.   
  
"I know." Kira said plainly, shoveling another bite into her mouth.   
  
"Of course you do." Natalie said, laughing nervously and producing a sweat drop.  
  
"Then you must know that she also loves strawberry milkshakes." Trunks commented, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed Vegita-style.  
  
"No she doesn't." Kira said, looking up from her bowl.  
  
"Heh. I know." Trunks said, a smile forming on his lips. "I just wanted to test you."  
  
"So, Kira." Natalie said. "Tell us about ourselves in the future."  
  
"I can't." Kira muttered, looking back at her ice cream again. Natalie produced a look of question on her face.  
  
"Why not?" Natalie asked.  
  
"I-I just can't. I don't want to prevent anything from happening the way it should"  
  
"But you already told us where you came from." Trunks said, bringing his hands back down to his sides.  
  
"That's because you and mom are already in love..." Kira trailed off, looking back and forth between the two. "Aren't you?"  
  
"Y-yes." Natalie said, looking up at Trunks for reassurance.  
  
"Uh, I have to go." Trunks said quickly and ran up the stairs. When Kira saw the pained look on Natalie's face, she did the only thing she knew to do. She cried. 


	15. Chapter 15

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 15 - Meeting the End  
  
  
Natalie slept fitfully that night. After Trunks had run off, Kira had quietly finished her ice cream with tears occasionally splashing into the bowl. Natalie tried to shrug it off, making excuses for Trunks' behavior, but it wouldn't let her mind rest. Did he not love her? Was it because of Kira? Was he angry with her for something? These sort of things continued to pop into her head until she fell asleep with Kira by her side, upstairs in her room.  
  
The next morning, Natalie was already awake when the sun rose, painting the early sky a brilliant red-orange before crawling above the horizon to signal the start of the day. She looked over and watched Kira turn over in her sleep. Well surely she and Trunks would get back together, otherwise Kira would have faded from existence. Still, this didn't cease her fleeting thoughts. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door, which caused Natalie to jump, almost falling off the bed. She knew it was Trunks, and rushed to the door, but opened it cautiously. Sure enough, she stole a glance at his purple hair before looking into his blue eyes.   
  
"Natalie..." he began. Natalie stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her. The two stood in the hall almost invisible to each other due to the lack of light. She could feel his eyes burning into hers and the warmth of his body radiating off of him.   
  
"Yes?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.   
  
"I-" Trunks broke off. He had inherited his father's sense of pride, and fought to overcome it. "I am really sorry." Natalie looked up from staring at the floor to what she could make out as Trunks' face in the dark hallway. "I don't know what was wrong with me. I think it's the girl." Trunks said, his voice heavy with grief. Grief over his father, grief over his actions, and grief over the thought of losing Natalie.  
  
"Kira." Natalie corrected him.  
  
"Kira. I think it was Kira." Trunks said. "Maybe it wasn't. I don't know what came over me. Nat I'm really sorry." He said, apologizing profusely.   
  
"It's okay...Trunks." Natalie said. Without saying another word, before she took another breath, Natalie was in Trunks' arms, and they embraced. Finally, they reluctantly let go and looked into each other's eyes before returning to their respective rooms to take advantage of a couple more hours' rest. Natalie walked into her room and watched as Kira slept peacefully on the bed. She walked over and pulled the covers over the shivering girl and curled up next to her, drifting off to sleep now that her mind was at peace once again.   
  
  
Meanwhile, Vegita and Goku were strolling down Snake Way in the direction of Kaiosama's place.  
  
"Why do you insist on visiting that old fool?" Vegita scowled, not even looking over at Goku.  
  
"Oh, come on Vegita. It's just a nice thing to do for an old friend. Besides, do you know of anything better to do up here?" Goku asked. Both were sporting halos as they strolled down the stone road. They had both chosen not to fly, for whatever reason, since they wouldn't be expending any energy in heaven.   
  
King Kai could sense their approach as he stepped out onto the rocky pathway that led out into the training area.   
  
"Well, well, well. It'll be good to see Goku again." Kaio-sama said to himself as a smile appeared on his face. "It seems as though Vegita is with him as well." King Kai was aware of the situation with Orion and Natalie, as well as the battles that they had fought. He was always keeping a close watch on Natalie since she had such an interesting past, from what he knew. He remembered the terrible losses that resulted from Vela's destruction and how all of the Kaio-shins had reacted to the situation. But they weren't aware of any survivors other than Orion and the princess. Seemed a shame, really, to see such a great race end in mere moments. He quickly dismissed those thoughts and returned to present-time as Bubbles grunted.   
  
"Kaio-sama!" a voice called out to him. King Kai looked up to see Goku waving at him with an excited expression on his face while the prince stood next to him with the usual scowl on his face.   
  
"Well! If it isn't the two greatest warriors this side of the galaxy!" King Kai said, a large grin appearing on his blue-tinted face. "What brings you two here?"  
  
"Well, we were in the neighborhood." Goku said, smirking.   
  
"Ah yes, I know. I know. Can I get you guys anything?" he offered. Almost instantly, Goku was in Kaio-sama's kitchen. Vegita just rolled his eyes and bowed his head to King Kai respectfully.  
  
"So how are things going down below, Vegita?" King Kai asked, breaking the awkward silence.   
  
"Hmph." Vegita replied, once again folding his arms. "You must know about the girl?" he asked. King Kai nodded his head. "She sure is a strong willed one."  
  
"It's her Saiyan blood." King Kai replied, obviously aware of her Saiyan heritage.   
  
"She has a thing for Trunks. I just know it." Vegita said.  
  
"And if he does, what is wrong with it?" King Kai asked. "Don't you think he was bound to find a girl sooner or later?" he laughed, snorting. Vegita's only reply was a "hmph".   
  
"Hey guys. What are you two talking about?" Goku said, coming out of Kaio-sama's house with a bowl of fried rice in his hands and ready chopsticks in another.  
  
"What do you care, Kakarott? Don't you have other things to worry about, like your stomach?" Vegita snapped. Goku looked at Vegita with a stunned expression.  
  
"Come on Vegita. Don't be so harsh." Goku said. "It can't be so bad that you can't tell your close friends, huh?" Vegita grunted. He never considered Kakarott to be one of his friends. Why did he care anyway? It wasn't like he was asking him to.   
  
"It's none of your business." Vegita said. "Besides, if I wanted to tell someone, it wouldn't be you." Goku was a bit crushed by Vegita's comment. He never seemed to want to accept him.   
  
"Fine. I won't bother you then." Goku said plainly, and then turned to King Kai and began to converse.   
  
"Hmph. I didn't think that Saiyans gave up so easily. But Kakarott is just a low class warrior anyway." Vegita thought to himself. Vegita was always using this excuse because he couldn't accept the fact that Goku was stronger than he was.   
  
"Is that all!?" Goku said loudly to King Kai, snapping Vegita out of his deep thought process.  
  
"Is WHAT all?" Vegita barked.   
  
"Vegita why didn't you tell us that Trunks was in love? It's not that big of a deal!" Goku said, grinning. Vegita turned a frightening shade of crimson and looked at Kaio-sama with a lethal look in his eyes.  
  
"You...told...him!?" Vegita said through clenched teeth.   
  
"Oh, come now Vegita. Don't get so angry." He said. Vegita forced himself to calm down for the most part. It wasn't the fact that Trunks was in love that angered him, it was that now Kakarott knew. Therefore, everyone would now know.   
  
"Is it that girl? What's her name..." Goku said. "Natalie, isn't it? They seem to be really close."   
  
"Yes, Kakarott, it's that girl." Vegita said, his voice bordering on temporary insanity as he spoke through tightly clenched teeth.   
  
"Well that's good! It's about time he found someone." Goku continued. Vegita took that as an insult.  
  
"I don't see your younger brat with anyone!" Vegita retaliated.   
  
"Who, Goten? Nah, he isn't interested in girls!" Goku said. King Kai and Vegita glared at him with one eyebrow cocked.   
  
"Well, fellas. Let's continue this discussion inside!" King Kai said, leading they way into his small, yet cozy home. Vegita grunted and purposely bumped Goku out of the way, proceeding to stomp inside after King Kai.   
  
"Well one of the reasons we came here, King Kai, was that we were wondering if you could train us while we are here." Goku said, walking inside as well.   
  
"How long do you have until the dragon balls can be used again?" King Kai asked.   
  
"Around two and a half months." Goku replied. Surely that would be enough time to at least keep them in condition.   
  
"Hmm..." King Kai thought out loud. "I don't see why not. Vegita are you up to it?" he asked.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" He sneered. "It would be a fine time to humiliate Kakarott in his lack of fighting skill." Goku just shrugged it off. He knew that Vegita only said that because he was too proud to do otherwise. So, without delaying any further, the two warriors prepared to train under Kaio-sama's watch.  
  
  
Back on Earth, the sun had finally risen above the horizon and shone through the windows of Capsule Corp. and right onto the sleeping forms of Natalie and Kira. The purple haired girl was the first to awaken, stirring at first and then opening her eyes and looking around the room curiously.   
  
"Where am I?" she said aloud, hopping off the bed. Obviously the time travel had caused a memory lapse. Natalie, who was previously lying on her stomach, rolled onto her left side and pulled the covers over her head. At seeing the girl, Kira's memories came flooding back to her at once. Almost immediately, she jumped on top of Natalie, shaking the girl senseless. "Wake up! Wake up!" the girl cried. Natalie was torn from her sleep and thrusted into the reality of a new day.   
  
"I'm up!" Natalie cried, sitting up in her bed and causing Kira to roll off of her. "What's the rush?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"It's time to get up." Kira said, and jumped off the bed. Natalie scratched the back of her head in confusion and stumbled out of bed. Bulma passed by her room with an exhausted look on her face. She didn't even bother to turn her head as she passed Natalie's doorway. Natalie started to call he name, but stopped herself. She realized that Bulma must be extremely upset about the death of her husband. Natalie became enraged as she remembered that gruesome scene. It played over and over in her head in a seemingly never-ending torturous fashion. Natalie grasped her head and ran her hands through the thick mass of brown hair. She just wanted to crawl back into her bed and sleep forever. She lied back on the bed and was about to pull the covers over her head when a hand reached down and took them from her hands. She looked up to see Trunks's face hovering over hers.   
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, blowing a few strands of hair out of his eyes.   
  
"He's so sweet." She thought to herself. "I'm fine." She spoke, sitting up in the bed once again. She could see the grief in Trunks' eyes as his eyes rested on the floor. Natalie was getting angry. Angry with herself for not being able to stop Orion. She had let him take control of her. She had been weak! And because of her weakness, Vegita, Goku, and Piccolo were now dead. And if she hadn't even come here in the first place, Orion wouldn't have killed the innocent people on this planet. By now, the rage was boiling inside of her. This was the prefect time, she told herself, to train. Without saying a word, Natalie slid off of the bed and walked into the bathroom, pulling her hair back vigorously, pulling out some of her hair in the process. She didn't even bother to change clothes before she splashed some water on her face and walked out, heading for the gravity chamber. Trunks followed her with his eyes until she was out of the room. He considered going after her, but stopped himself, since he knew what was going through her mind. She had a tremendous weight on her shoulders. He just wished that there was something he could do.   
  
Natalie stormed out of Capsule Corp and walked towards the gravity chamber. By now, she had tears in her eyes and she blindly set the gravity controls. The low, steady hum of the gravity machine resonated around the area as Natalie flipped open the control panel that dispersed fighting androids and holograms. Of course, being enraged, she felt as though she could take on the world. So she set the machine to disperse five robots and two holograms, without even warming up first. She was oblivious to the danger of her actions, and proceeded into the chamber, shutting the door and locking it behind her. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now, and didn't want to take the chance of Trunks or Kira paying her a visit. Before she could even stretch her tense muscles, her 7 sparring partners greeted her. The robots' chrome armor glinted in the false light of the chamber as they emerged from their storage spaces and activated themselves. Two holograms appeared before her. This time, they were both male, averaging about six feet in height and were incredibly built, just like all of the other senshi. The one on the left had black spiky hair that fell over his pale grey eyes. He was almost attractive. The other had straight brown hair that was similar in fashion to Trunks' hairstyle. They were both wearing identical outfits, consisting of tight black tank tops that accentuated their muscles, and loose grey pants that were tied in place with a rope-like piece of blue cloth. After staring at them for what seemed like an hour, Natalie's eyes darted over to the robots, which had lined up in single file. She assumed that they were waiting for her to make a move. With one swift, smooth motion, Natalie lunged towards the holograms. This set them off, and they dodged her attach with ease. The robots responded as well, and began to move towards the girl, powering up blasts with their cold, metal "hands". Natalie turned her head just in time to see a fist heading straight for her face. She jumped to the side and avoided it, but, unfortunately for her, she jumped right into the path of a beam from the other hologram. The energy surrounded her and knocked her to the floor. It was a relatively weak blast, however, and did little damage to the girl, other than stunning her. The black-haired hologram shot his fist towards her midsection, taking advantage of her position. Natalie rolled out of the way and sprang to her feet, throwing her fists at the brunette hologram. Suddenly, out of nowhere, something hit her on the back of the head, causing Natalie's sight to be exaggerated for a few fleeting moments before she realized that one of the robots had attacked her from behind. She kicked her foot in a roundhouse fashion and spun her torso around after her leg, sending it crashing into the robot's legs and bringing it to the ground. She pummeled it with her fists, putting dents in the chrome. She then felt a presence behind her and moved right as a hologram's foot stomped down where she had just been, crushing the head of the robot as it hit the ground. Natalie looked on in disbelief before powering up and delivering a ki blast to the back of the hologram. He was knocked forward a few feet before retaliating with a blast of his own. Natalie just jumped out of the way as it hit the wall and was absorbed. Suddenly something knocked into Natalie from behind and she was pinned to the floor by the black-haired hologram. While she was vulnerable, he delivered a blow to the back of her head, which caused her to lose her peripheral vision in bother of her eyes. This scared Natalie, for she feared losing consciousness and being torn to shreds by the holograms, so she expanded her aura, knocking both holograms against the walls. She brought herself to her feet, only to be met with a blast from one of the fighter robots. Natalie was becoming annoyed and let out a growl, lunging towards the robot and grabbing it by the neck. Before it could blast her again, she brought her fist back and snapped it forward, impaling the droid immediately. Sparks flew from the hole she had created in the thing and she dropped the pile of scrap metal to the ground, following up with a ki blast to incinerate its remains. As soon as she gathered her senses, the holograms were attacking once more. They stood on either side of her, waiting to attack. They then lunged for her simultaneously. A robot was coming towards her from the front, and she didn't have enough room behind he to dodge. Instinctively, she shot her arms out to the sides and opened her hands to expose her palms. With a yell, she sent huge waves of energy out of her hands and towards the holograms. They crossed their forearms over their faces and attempted to withstand the onslaught, but were blown back once more. Just as this happened, Natalie shot her foot out in front of her to send the robot flying back against the far wall. Natalie blurred over to it and attacked it head on, sending bits of metal flying in all directions. When she was sure that it couldn't do any more harm to her, she kicked its head in one final time and blasted it, drilling the remains into the wall. She wiped her forehead vigorously as beads of sweat dripped down the side of her face. Suddenly, the black-haired hologram smacked her straight in the face, sending her flying into the wall where the remains of the droid smoked. A trickle of blood ran down her chin as she gathered her wits. The brown-haired one attacked her from the side, kicking her sharply in the side and shattering her rib cage immediately. She let out a shrill cry as she fell over on her other side, rendering herself vulnerable. She inhaled sharply and thanked Kami that her broken ribs hadn't punctured her lungs. The two holograms then punched her in the chest, causing her to gasp for air again. Her body burned and her muscles screamed as she fought to get on her feet to defend herself against her attackers. The holograms stood before her, preparing to attack once more, when she screamed and let a ki blast loose. The energy surrounded them and knocked them back, but they recovered immediately. Just as she was about to attack them again she doubled over and coughed up blood. Just then, a robot blasted her from the side. She screamed in anger, trying desperately to regain her composure before she was attacked again. The gravity chamber rocked as she powered up to super Saiyan and incinerated the robot instantly. Now there were only two robots and two holograms left. Surely with her transformation, she would be able to finish them off. She powered up a blast and sent it flying towards the brown-haired hologram. The energy sliced through its chest and it let out a deafening yell before exploding into a million points of light. The black-haired hologram became enraged and attacked with full force. Natalie managed to fend off most of the attacks, with the exception of a few hits. She suddenly became aware that the two other robots were heading straight for her, and struggled to disengage herself from the hologram so that she could finish them off. She tripped the hologram to temporarily distract him while she headed for the robots. She ripped one of the arms off of the nearest one and smacked its head with it. She then grabbed it's neck and twisted it to make it snap. It seemed apparent that when Natalie transformed, her Saiyan instincts kicked in and she became fiercer when she fought. After she had taken care of the first robot, she headed for the second. Before she could attack it, she was hit in the back of the neck by the hologram and sent flying towards the wall. Right before she hit, the hologram blasted her, increasing her speed as she smacked straight into the cold, hard metal wall. She slid to the floor, barely conscious after the blow to her head as the hologram hovered over her with an evil grin on his face.   
  
Trunks sat on Natalie's bed as his thoughts raced. He was suddenly struck with a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He immediately thought of Natalie, and located her ki in the gravity chamber. What had she done!? Surely she wasn't fighting the battle droids at the state she was in! He raced down the stairs, past his sullen mother and the tiny Kira, ran out the door, and skidded to a halt in front of the gravity chamber. He looked at the control panel and saw that she had activated five droids! Then he noticed that she had also used two holograms as well! Trunks became wide-eyed and tried to open the door. It was locked! He knew that he couldn't blast it, since his mother had built it to withstand those kinds of things. He cursed to himself and activated the view-screen inside the chamber. When he saw the sight, he recoiled in terror. Natalie was lying on the floor on the brink of consciousness as a fierce-looking hologram stood over her with an evil smirk on his face. He outstretched his hand and positioned it over her head, preparing to finish her off.   
  
"Natalie, NO!" Trunks cried. He clenched his fists and powered up, firing at the door in vain. A ball of energy appeared in the hologram's hands as he collected energy for his kill. Natalie coughed up more blood and looked up at the hologram in sheer terror. Trunks beat on the door until his knuckles bled, still not managing to budge it. He looked at the view screen to see that the hologram had finished collecting energy for the attack and was preparing to fire.   
  
"GOD DAMNIT NATALIE GET UP!" Trunks cried at the top of his lungs. With one final laugh, the hologram fired directly at Natalie's head. She screamed an ear-splitting scream that reverberated around the chamber as the energy slammed into her, exploding on contact. Her screams came to a sudden halt as the blast shot through her. Trunks saw the whole thing and immediately exploded into super Saiyan level 2! He incinerated the door of the chamber in blind rage. He shot a ki blast straight though the hologram's heart, killing it instantly as it exploded into points of light. The attack went on to disintegrate the robot, leaving no evidence that it was even there. Trunks blurred over to Natalie, lifting her limp head into his hands.   
  
"NATALIE!" Trunks cried, shaking the girl's limp body as tears came to his eyes. Blood leaked out of her mouth and streamed down her chin, splashing to the floor. She was dead. 


	16. Chapter 16

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 16 - Journey  
  
  
King Kai's antennas suddenly perked up and he stared into nothingness with a grim look on his face.  
  
"What? What is it Kaio-sama?" Goku asked.   
  
"It seems that tragedy has befallen on Capsule Corp." the god replied. Vegita's head snapped up suddenly.  
  
"What did you say!?" he said, grabbing the Kaioshin by the collar.  
  
"Vegita put me down!" King Kai cried. Vegita just dropped the blue man onto the ground where he got up and dusted himself off in annoyance. Suddenly, there was a sound behind them. The three spun around in surprise to see Piccolo standing before them.   
  
"I felt it as well." The Namek said, folding his arms. "One of the ki's on Earth has just disappeared." Goku and Vegita got worried looks on their faces.  
  
"Who was it, King Kai?" Goku asked.   
  
"I'm afraid it was the Sidra-jin girl." Kaio-sama replied, looking sullen. Vegita's jaw dropped and Goku went wide-eyed.   
  
"Natalie!? What happened to her?" Vegita asked. Goku was surprised at Vegita's concern, but didn't say anything for fear of deflating his highness' royal ego.   
  
"What do you think happened, Saiya-jin?" Piccolo growled. Vegita spun around angrily but Goku stopped him.   
  
"Is she-?" he started. King Kai nodded his head sadly. "What? How!?" Goku cried.   
  
"I'm not sure. You can ask her when she arrives." King Kai replied.   
  
"She's coming here?" Vegita inquired, folding his arms.   
  
"She will. King Yemma knows of her importance and will surely send her." Goku, Vegita, and Piccolo just stared at King Kai with bewildered looks on their faces.   
  
Back on Earth, Trunks held Natalie's limp body in his arms as tears ran down his face and landed on her shirt. Suddenly, she began to glow. Trunks looked at her with a surprised expression on his face as she began to fade away right before his eyes.   
  
"No no no!" he cried, trying to keep her in his grasp. Soon she was completely out of sight and little points of light were left where she had once lain. They then collected themselves and swirled upwards towards the heavens, surrounding Trunks and then dispersing into the sky. Kira suddenly appeared in the doorway and fell to her knees when she saw the grisly scene. She tried to speak but choked on her own words. The skies darkened and thunder crashed in the distance as Kira suddenly became furious. Trunks jerked his head over in her direction, looking at her with a stunned expression. The ground began to rumble and pieces of debris left from the charred fighting droids bounced on the floor of the gravity chamber. Kira then clenched her fists and screamed as her body went rigid and enormous amounts of raw power surged through her body. Trunks just watched in awe as his daughter transformed before his eyes. Kira's tiny muscles bulged and her aura expanded outward, surging through her small frame and her hair turned from lavender to bright gold, spiking outward and falling back onto her shoulders. Her tail also turned gold and her eyes just remained their original green color. When all of this was finished, she fell to the ground, barely breathing. When Trunks snapped out of his shock, he ran over and scooped the girl up in his arms, carrying her into the building. Bulma came downstairs with pieces of ceiling plaster in her hair and a confused expression on her face as she clung to the railing.  
  
"What the hell was that?" she cried. "It felt like an earthquake!" Her eyes then locked onto Kira's body. "What's up with that girl!? You mean to tell me that she's a...a...you know!" Bulma cried. Trunks smirked and nodded his head. Kira squirmed in his arms and he set her down. She examined herself carefully, marveling at her new hair and tail as Trunks explained the unfortunate situation to Bulma, who burst into tears.  
  
"She's-she's gone..." Bulma trailed off, dabbing her eye with the bottom of her shirt. "This can't be happening." Trunks dropped his head to the ground and moved his eyes along the floor until he came to Kira's feet. She even had little boots like his. This made Trunks crack a smile. Deep down, he knew that Natalie would be okay and they would wish her back with the dragon balls, but two and a half months without her seemed like an eternity.   
  
"I suppose you two are hungry." Bulma said, making her way down the rest of the stairs. Trunks and Kira's heads popped up and they looked at Bulma with excited expressions on their faces. Kira was still in Super Saiyan form and strands of her blonde hair fell over her eyes. Trunks looked at his daughter with pride. She was quite the little warrior.   
  
Natalie suddenly woke up in a large area. When her senses came to her, she looked around. She was on some kind of large, floating platform!   
  
"What the!" she cried out. "Where am I? What happened to me?"  
  
"There is no need to fear my friend." A gentle voice said from behind her. Natalie spun around defensively and put her arms up.   
  
"Who-?" she broke off. Before her stood a green figure about her height, dressed in loose-fitting robes.   
  
"My name is Dende." He replied. He looked like a younger version of Piccolo. Natalie's eyes went wide.  
  
"You're Dende! Then that means-!" she broke off. She looked up above her and saw a golden halo floating above her head. "I'm dead!?" she cried. Dende nodded reassuringly. Natalie fell to her knees and stared at her hands in disbelief. Dende placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Don't be afraid. You were sent here for a reason." The Namek said.   
  
"I don't want to be here!" she said, standing up on her feet and looking around fearfully. "I want to go home! Please let me go home!" she begged.   
  
"I am sorry but I have no control over that." Dende said. "You will be sent to King Yemma's place, where he will allow you to pass on to snake way to journey to King Kai's planet. Goku, Vegita, and Piccolo are already there." He continued. Natalie sighed and folded her arms, looking to the heavens as a tear slid down her cheek.   
  
"I suppose I don't have a choice." She said, her voice heavy with sorrow.   
  
"Yes, you have a choice. You don't have to go to down snake way. That would just be the best route to take." Dende said to the girl.   
  
"How long will it take me?" she inquired.   
  
"It all depends on your speed. Snake way is ten-thousand miles long." He replied. Natalie's jaw dropped.   
  
"I have to be brave." She thought to herself. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" Suddenly she imagined herself tripping and falling off of the side of snake way and falling into oblivion. She snapped back to reality.   
  
"I'll...I'll go, then." She said, trying to put on a brave face. However, Dende could see right through it.  
  
"If you don't want to go, you don't have to." He suggested.   
  
"No. I'll go." She said. She had heard about King Kai from Trunks and Goku. Surely the journey wouldn't be that bad? Goku, Vegita, and Piccolo managed it, so she could too. "How do I get there?" she asked.  
  
"I'll take you to King Yemma's, and from there you will be transported to the beginning of snake way." Dende replied. Natalie nodded. Then, Dende put a hand on her shoulder and concentrated. Before Natalie realized what was going on, they were teleported to King Yemma's "office". She gasped as she looked up and saw an enormous man sitting at a desk, right in front of her.   
  
"Well hello, Dende." He said, his loud voice booming. Natalie leaned over to Dende.  
  
"Is this King Yemma?" she asked. Dende nodded in response.   
  
"Greetings, King Yemma. I have a girl here who wishes to travel down snake way to King Kai's." Dende said to the large man behind the desk. King Yemma looked at Natalie with his huge eyes, causing her to fall back in surprise.   
  
"And who might she be?" he asked, opening a gigantic book.  
  
"M-my name is Natalie." She said fearfully. She wasn't sure which identity to use, since she had apparently had two different places of residence.   
  
"Natalie? Are you from Earth?" he continued.   
  
"Uh..." she said. "Technically, yes."   
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" King Yemma asked. He intimidated Natalie so much that she was afraid to speak.   
  
"I am from Earth." She repeated.   
  
"King Yemma, this girl was born on a different planet but sent to Earth. She was taken in by the Briefs family." Dende said, much to Natalie's relief.   
  
"Hmm..." King Yemma said, flipping through the pages of his book. Finally he came to a stop and scanned the pages with his large, black eyes. "I see. You are Carina, are you not?" he asked. Natalie gulped and nodded. "You are a rare one, indeed." He said, chuckling. "Well I suppose I will let you pass. You seemed to have proven yourself worthy."  
  
"Thank you!" Natalie exclaimed. She was then led outside to an area where a skinny blue man in a business suit was waiting for her.  
  
"This man will transport you to the beginning of snake way. From there, you will journey to King Kai's planet, which is at the very end. Make sure to stay on the path, for one you fall, there will be no coming back." Dende said. "Good luck to you, Natalie." The Namek said, and bid her farewell. When he had teleported back to his lookout, Natalie cautiously approached the man.   
  
"Hi! I will take you to the entrance to snake way. What is your name?" the man asked in an unusually strange voice pitch.  
  
"My name is Natalie." She replied.   
  
"My, my that's a lovely name. What are you going to King Kai's for, may I ask?"   
  
"I-I don't really know. Dende suggested I go. Goku and the others are there as well." She answered.   
  
"Oh, Goku is an old friend of mine! I think we are soul-mates or something, because we think just alike." He said. "Well just hop in the back and I'll take you on to snake way!" the man said cheerfully. Natalie cautiously sat down in the back of the back of the...car. From there she was driven to the entrance, while the man struck up some unusual conversations.   
  
"So how long have you known Goku?" he asked.  
  
"Well, ever since Orion came to Earth and we fought him, I met Goku that day." She replied, observing the scenery...or lack thereof.  
  
"Orion!?" the man cried. "You mean to tell me that you guys fought that awful young man?"  
  
"Y-yes. How do you know him?" Natalie asked.  
  
"Oh, he came to King Yemma's when he died. Everyone comes here. Then the king decides where they should be headed." He replied.   
  
"Really? So, then I guess he went to -" she broke off.  
  
"Yeah, he went there." He interrupted. Natalie stifled a laugh. "Well here we are, then! Good luck on your journey." Natalie looked up and saw a huge, demon like creature made out of stone. Its open mouth was the start of the long pathway.   
  
"Wow. That's creepy." Natalie said.   
  
"I say the same thing every time I see it!" the guy said. "We must be soul-mates or something." Natalie looked at him with an eyebrow cocked before taking a few brave steps towards the mouth. When she looked back, he was waving goodbye to her and then took off in his...car.   
  
"You can do this, Nat." she said to herself. She took a big gulp of air and stepped into the mouth. The sounds of her breathing were echoed off of the stone walls as she just stood still for a few moments. "That wasn't so bad." She said. "Here goes..." she trailed off and took a few more steps. Soon she was out of the mouth and could see the elongated pathway twisting and turning on its way into the horizon. "Oh man. This might take longer than I expected." She said, powering up her aura and then taking off with blinding speed.  
  
Goku, Vegita, and Piccolo were all standing outside of Kaio-sama's house, trying to make out Natalie's ki.   
  
"She's already begun the journey." King Kai commented. "But there's no telling how long it will take. At the speed she's going now, it would take a few weeks." He continued.   
  
"She can go faster than that." Vegita said. "I've seen her power. She's just taking her time." Goku and Piccolo turned to him.   
  
"You care for her, don't you?" Goku asked.   
  
"WHAT!? Whatever made you think that?" Vegita snarled. "I have no feelings for that girl." He continued to rant and rave. This proved the obvious: he did care for her after all. When Vegita was done with his outburst, King Kai spoke up.  
  
"Well I guess you three would like to begin training, then?" he asked. The three warriors looked at him.   
  
"I'll sit this one out." Piccolo said with his usual cold tone of voice. He didn't want to be bothered with training when he could be meditating. He then proceeded to hover over to the side of King Kai's house and floated a few feet off the ground in an indian-style position with his arms crossed. Goku and Vegita watched him and then turned back to each other.  
  
"Looks like it's just you and me, then." Goku said cheerfully.  
  
"Hmph." Vegita said. "Looks like I'll have to kick your ass solo then." He said, smirking. Goku smirked as well.  
  
"Think what you wish, Vegita," was all he had to say before the two of them became a blur of fists and feet, punching, dodging, swooping, and attacking faster than the eye could see. King Kai watched...er...sensed them intently as they fought.   
  
"They have greatly improved since I saw them last." He thought to himself as his sunglasses glinted in the sunlight. Soon after the two began sparring, the ki attacks began, sometimes running astray and narrowly missing King Kai or Piccolo.   
  
"Watch where you're firing!" Piccolo snapped, angry that his concentration had been broken. He could sense Natalie's ki in the distance, making it's way to King Kai's small planet.   
  
  
On Earth, Bulma, Trunks, and Kira all sat at the dining table, eating their breakfast on the Sunday morning. Kira had french toast with syrup, and Trunks had an omelet with hash browns. Bulma was just sipping at a cup of black coffee and reading the paper. Trunks had barely touched his breakfast, much to his mother's surprise and displeasure.  
  
"Trunks! I just cooked you that whole meal and you've barely taken three bites." Bulma complained. "Don't you like my cooking?"  
  
"No, mom. Your cooking is fine. I...I'm just upset right now." He replied with a solemn tone of voice. Kira looked up at her father with smears of syrup on her face. She had managed to power down to regular form, since Bulma had a "No Super Saiyans at the Table" rule. While Kira studied him intently, he was deep in thought. "There has to be some way to get her back early." Trunks thought to himself. "If only Goku were still alive. He could teleport to new Namek and collect the Namekin dragon balls." But he wasn't.  
  
  
"Man this sure is boring." Natalie said as she shuffled down Snake Way. She decided to walk for a while and save her strength. Earlier she had found out that the edges of Snake Way were sharp, the hard way. "How much longer is this going to take?" she cried out loud. There weren't any other souls around for miles, and she was beginning to wish that she hadn't even come here in the first place. Actually, if it hadn't been for Orion...no. She needed to just forget about him. But how could she? It was all his fault! All of the things that had taken place during the past couple of months had been because of him. "Damn him." She muttered under her breath. "Oh well...I'm stuck here. Might as well make the best of things." She said, shrugging her shoulders and picking up the pace again. The road seemed to go no forever, just begging to discourage her on her journey. Luckily, she had inherited the fiery will that Saiyans were renowned for and wouldn't give up that easily.   
  
  
Back on King Kai's planet, Goku and Vegita had taken a break from sparring and were indulging themselves in a bowl of rice, provided by Kaio-sama himself.   
  
"You still have that enormous appetite, I see." King Kai said, watching Goku as he inhaled his food. Goku grinned in between bites.  
  
  
"Okay, Kira." Trunks said, studying his daughter. "You seem to have some potential."  
  
"What's potential?" she asked. Trunks slapped himself on the head.   
  
"How old are you again?" he asked.   
  
"Five." She replied with an innocent look on her face.   
  
"You're five!?" Trunks cried. "I mean...you're five." He said again, this time straightening up his voice. "Have you ever trained before, Kira?" he asked. Kira nodded her head.  
  
"Grandpa trained me." She said proudly. Trunks rolled his eyes.   
"So father trained her, huh?" he thought to himself. "Typical."  
  
"Are you going to train me, dad?" she asked. Trunks faltered when he heard her call him dad. It sounded so...strange. But he liked it.   
  
"I was thinking about it." He replied, snapping out of his daze. "Are you up to it?" he asked.  
  
"Of course I am." She replied, placing her hands on her hips.  
  
"She definitely has dad's ego." Trunks thought to himself. "Not to mention Nat's attitude." It was obvious that she was his daughter.  
  
"Okay then. Tell me, how hard did father train you?" Trunks asked. "Did he use the gravity room?"   
  
"Yes he's been training me ever since I was able to walk." She replied plainly. Trunks gaped. "But he didn't let me use the gravity room until I was three."  
  
"O-oh." Trunks said, amazed.   
  
"But mom only let me train up to ten times normal gravity." Kira continued, as if nothing were abnormal about this. "She said that grandpa would end up killing me if he trained me too hard. But I think mom is silly." She giggled.   
  
"Ah, of course." Trunks said, trying to keep himself from exploding. He couldn't believe the things that she managed to pull off at such a young age. "So is there anything else you can tell me about the future?" Trunks asked. He was really curious.   
  
"I-I can't. I'm sorry but I don't want to risk anything." She replied.   
  
"That's fine, don't worry." He said. "Now let's get to training!" he said, then noticing that she was still wearing her old clothing from the day before that had already been ruined in battle. "But I suppose you will need some new clothes." He said.   
  
A few minutes later, Kira emerged from Natalie's room wearing one of her white tank tops and her navy blue nylon pants. They were so long that she kept tripping over them. Trunks laughed at the sight.   
  
"I think you need to roll those up." He said, sitting down in front of her and began to roll up the bottom of the pants to prevent any accidents. Dende knows they didn't need anything else to happen anytime soon. 


	17. Chapter 17

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 17 - Encounter with the Snake  
  
  
Natalie awoke from a deep sleep on the hard, rocky path. She had obviously lain down to get some rest and fallen asleep on accident. She stood on her feet, stretching. Her neck was sore from sleeping the wrong way.   
  
"Oh if only I could teleport like Goku. Then I wouldn't be doing this right now!" Natalie cried out loud. "Of course, complaining hasn't gotten me there, anyhow." She continued. After preparing herself, she shot through the air like a bullet, getting ever more close to King Kai's planet. "Hmph! At this rate I'll be there in no time." She said to herself as a smirk developed on her face. The wind whipped through her hair, occasionally blowing a few pieces into her eyes. On the way, she passed some sort of castle.   
  
"Is that where King Kai is?" she wondered. She cautiously approached the building, leaning up against the side and then peering inside the large doors. Seeing nobody there, she walked in, taking slow, careful steps. There was no telling what could be around every corner. Suddenly, a young woman crossed paths with her. She had blue skin, and was wearing a green dress with a scale-like print on it. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail on the top of her head.   
  
"Who are you? Where do you come from?" the girl asked defensively. Natalie took a step back and bit her bottom lip.  
  
"I am looking for King Kai." She replied. Before the yellow-haired girl could reply, another woman came walking up. She had the same blue skin as the first girl, but she had a thick head of short, fiery orange hair and large, red eyes. She was wearing a dress similar to the green one, but in a shade of blue instead. She also had a white feather boa and round purple earrings.   
  
"Now, honestly dear. Does it really take that long to-" she broke off when she noticed Natalie standing in front of her. "Now who might this be?" she asked, studying the girl. "A visitor? Too bad it wasn't a handsome young man. It's been a while since we had one of those stop by the palace."   
  
"Oh, you see, I'm looking for King Kai. This is my first time on Snake Way, and-" Natalie started, but was broken off by the red-headed woman.  
  
"Well you must stay for dinner. It's not every day that we get a guest." She said. she woman thought to herself.   
  
"A-are you sure?" Natalie asked.  
  
"Of course!" she replied. "Oh, I haven't even introduced myself. I am Princess Snake, and I live here."   
  
"I see. Well I really must be going." Natalie said.  
  
"No, I insist you stay!" Princess Snake said, startling Natalie with her unusual firm tone.   
  
"Alright...if you insist." She replied.  
  
"My maid will take you to be freshened up." Princess Snake said, and then walked off. The blonde-haired girl took Natalie to a room with a large, round, porcelain tub in the middle, with a fountain-style faucet hanging over the rim. On the far wall, there were several gold racks with white towels hanging on them. The floor under her feet was a pale pink tile with a glossy finish, and there were stylish overhead lights.  
  
"Now let's get you out of these clothes." The maid said, and started undressing Natalie. Natalie, however, let her modesty get the best of her.  
  
"That's okay, really. I can undress myself!" she said.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous!" the maid replied, and continued. When she had finished, Natalie was beet-red while trying to cover herself up. The maid walked over to the tub and turned on the water. As it flowed into the tub, steam began to rise to the ceiling. She then poured some bubble bath into the water and bubbles began to fill the tub. "Just step in here and relax while I wash your clothes." The maid said. Natalie quickly got into the tub, but jumped up when she felt the heat of the water. After a few minutes adjusting, she finally settled into the water, which was just under her collarbone when she sat down. The luxurious bubbles surrounded her and made her feel totally at ease. As soon as the maid took her clothing and left, another maid came in. She looked just like the first one, with the exception that her hair was brown.   
  
"Hello there. I'm here to clean you up!" she said cheerfully. Natalie was about to protest, but realized that it was useless. The woman walked over and took Natalie's brown hair down, causing her brown locks to fall over her shoulders. She then dunked Natalie under the water to wet her hair. When she surfaced, she coughed up a mouthful of water.  
  
"What, are you trying to drown me?" Natalie cried, wiping bubble bath out of her eyes.   
  
"Nonsense. I'm just getting your hair wet." The maid replied, rubbing shampoo in Natalie's hair vigorously. Natalie put up with the torture, only because she knew that she would feel much better afterwards. When the maid was finished rubbing in the shampoo, she dunked Natalie again, this time keeping her under longer to rinse her hair. When she surfaced, she again had to wipe soap from her eyes and spit out some water. After a few more minutes, she was finished and the maid handed her a towel to dry off, as well as a towel to dry her hair in. Natalie stepped out of the tub, covered in bubbles, and almost slipped on the tile floor. She dried herself off as quickly as possible and then wrapped her hair in her towel.  
  
"Now let's see if your clothes are clean." The maid said to Natalie as she led her out of the bathroom and into the hallway. She then ducked into one of the other rooms for a moment, and then came back out. "They still need to dry. So while we're waiting, let's get you made up." The maid said, taking Natalie to the end of the hallway and into a new room. This one was a bit smaller than the bathroom, and had a large vanity on the far side. There was also a closet and thick carpeting underneath. The maid grabbed a gown out of the closet and handed it to Natalie to slip on. She did, and examined herself in the mirror. It was made of light blue silk, and was held in place by two thin straps that fell softly over her shoulders.  
  
"This is nice." Natalie commented as she sat down in the chair in front of the vanity. While she sat still, the maid dried her soft, brown hair and styled it nicely.   
  
"Do you wear makeup, dear?" the maid asked Natalie.   
  
"No, not really. Just lip gloss." She replied. "Unless it's a special occasion."  
  
"Well we'll make you up beautifully, then, won't we?" the maid continued, and opened a drawer full of cosmetics.  
  
"A-are you sure about -"   
  
"Don't worry! I'm practically a professional." The maid consoled Natalie. She began with concealor and then followed up with powder, which made Natalie sneeze. She then applied eyeshadow and kohl, as well as a nice shade of light pink lipstick. When she was finished, Natalie looked in the mirror.  
  
"Wow." She said, studying her face. "This is a change."  
  
"You look lovely. Now to check on your clothes." She said, stepping out of the room. Even though it looked really nice, Natalie really disliked too much makeup. It made her face feel weird. Just then, the maid came back into the room, holding Natalie's clothes, which were warm from drying. "Let's see what you have here." The maid said, holding Natalie's clothes up. "THIS is what you were wearing?" she said, studying her black tank top and navy blue nylon pants.   
  
"They're just my training clothes." Natalie replied.  
  
"Well I guess it'll do." She said, tossing the clothes to Natalie, who slipped into them quickly. She felt at ease in them. "Dinner is prepared. Let's go get you seated."  
  
Natalie was lead to a rather large room with a long, rectangular table in the center. On top were a decorative red covering and two tall candles set inside silver holders. There was a great assortment of foods to chose from, ranging from rice to mashed potatoes, chicken to pork. Natalie stood in front of the table and gaped.  
  
"Well don't just stand there." Princess Snake said, just entering the room. "Have a seat and help yourself." Natalie slowly sat down and looked at the food for a moment before serving herself. After a few minutes of eating, Princess Snake spoke up.  
  
"What brings you to Snake Way, then dear?" she asked.  
  
"Well..." Natalie said, pausing to swallow a mouthful of rice. "Dende said that I should go to King Kai's to train." She finished, remembering that she still had that golden halo above her head.  
  
"Oh, I see. We once had a visitor who was in the same situation. But that was years ago. His name was Goku, I believe, but I could be wrong." Princess Snake said. Natalie jumped up in her seat.  
  
"Goku? You mean Son Goku the Saiya-jin?" she said.  
  
"Well yes. Do you know him?"  
  
"Oh of course! Bulma and him are good friends. But Vegita doesn't seem to like him very much. He's a very nice guy." Natalie replied.  
  
"Yes, indeed. Handsome too." The princess commented. Natalie smirked. Suddenly, she realized that she was supposed to be journeying to King Kai's planet, not dining with a Snake Princess.  
  
"Well, thanks for the hospitality." Natalie said, getting up from her chair. "But I really need to be going now. I have to -"  
"Why don't you stay a bit longer?" Princess Snake said demandingly.  
"W-well..." Natalie stammered. "I really need to get to King Kai's planet. I only have a couple of months, and -"  
  
"No I insist. Take your seat." The princess said. Just then, the two maids pushed Natalie into her chair.  
  
"Hey! Look I'm sorry to eat and run, but I'm in a hurry!" Natalie cried.   
  
"That's too bad, because I could use someone like you around here to help out." Princess Snake hissed, looking at Natalie with an evil glint in her eye. Natalie had about had enough.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing?" Natalie screamed as the two maids grabbed her by the arms and dragged her into another room.  
  
"We're just going to get rid of that dreaded memory of yours, and you'll forget all about King Kai." Princess Snake said evilly.  
  
"No!" Natalie cried, struggling out of the maids' grip and making a mad dash for the door.  
  
"I don't think so." Princess Snake said, and began to grow fangs. Suddenly, her skin was replaced with scales, and her eyes narrowed. Her body became elongated and sharp spike-like projections sprouted from her head and spine. She then chased after Natalie.  
  
"Where did THAT come from!?" Natalie cried, soon forgetting the idea of running and jumping into the air. She shot out of the front doors and sped along Snake Way. "Whew. That was a close one." She said. Unfortunately, she looked back and saw that the Snake-Demon thing was still after her. "Damn I'll just have to expend a little more energy." Natalie said to herself and grew a brilliant white aura. She paused for a split second and then thrusted forward, leaving a sonic boom behind to blow the snake back. After about five minutes of this, Natalie finally slowed the pace a bit, but still maintained a good speed to make sure that she would arrive quickly. After an hour, she could see a tiny object ahead of her. From where she was it looked no bigger than a grain of sand, but slowly grew bigger. "That must be it!" she cried, and sped up.   
  
King Kai sat on the hood of his car, watching the two Saiyans spar. Piccolo was still meditating on the side of the building.  
  
"That girl should have been here by now. I wonder what's keeping her." King Kai thought to himself. No more than thirty seconds later, as if on cue, Natalie appeared in front of him. Just after she appeared, a tremendous gust of wind covered the entire planet, blowing the three warriors out of place and sending Bubbles and Gregory flying. King Kai barely managed to keep his grip on the bumper of the car.  
  
"Well I see that you like to make an entrance. You are Natalie, I presume?" King Kai asked, letting out a snort.  
  
"I am. Are you king Kai?" she inquired. "And MAN what is with the gravity on this planet? I feel like I weigh a metric ton!" she cried.  
  
"I am King Kai. Sorry about the gravity problem. You'll adjust!" King Kai said with artificial cheer. "Your friends have already started training." He continued.  
  
"Who said we were friends with HER?" a harsh voice said from behind Natalie. She spun around to see Vegita, crossing his arms, and Goku standing next to him with a grin on his face. Natalie's eyes lit up and she ran over to embrace them both. Vegita just stood like a statue, not even flinching, and Goku put his arm around her. She then stepped back and looked that them.  
  
"Wow we have all missed you guys!" she exclaimed.   
  
"We've only been gone for a day." Vegita said rudely. Natalie chuckled to herself.  
  
"Well I guess HE'S back to normal." She thought to herself.   
  
"Well, Natalie, before we begin ANY training whatsoever, I have one requirement." King Kai said. Natalie turned around to face him.  
  
"What's that?" she asked.  
  
"You have to make me LAUGH." He replied.  
  
"Huh?" Natalie asked, puzzled. "Are you serious about that?"  
  
"Yes." King Kai said.   
  
"Oh...okay. Well, um..." she began, trying to think of something to do. "Okay, have you heard the one about the ham sandwich?" she asked.  
  
"No." king Kai replied with a serious look on his face.  
  
"Well, a ham sandwich walked into a bar and sat on the stool, preparing to order something. But the bartender said to him 'Sorry, we don't serve food here.'" Natalie said, trying to make it sound as funny as possible. King Kai didn't even flinch. "Yeah, I never liked that one either." She said, still trying to think of something. Goku and Vegita looked at her with sweatdrops.  
  
"Don't worry, Nat!" Goku said, trying to console the girl. "It isn't that hard. I managed it in less than five minutes!"   
  
"Yeah, thanks. Your naïve personality makes you naturally funny, baka!" She snapped. Suddenly, smothered giggles escaped from King Kai's mouth, until he couldn't hold it anymore and burst into a fit of laughter.  
  
"Ha ha! I've never seen anyone insult ol' Goku so well!" King Kai said in between snorts. Natalie bowed and then walked over to Goku.   
"Don't worry! You know I was kidding, right?" she said, slapping him on the back, hard.   
  
"Sure! No hard feelings." Goku said, regaining his composure. Vegita showed his annoyance with a deep-throated growl.   
  
"Well," King Kai said, "Let's begin." 


	18. Chapter 18

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 18 - Training  
  
  
"Well on to stage one. Natalie, since you're far more advanced than Goku was when he first showed up, I won't go through the whole "catch bubbles" routine." King Kai explained to Natalie, with a cheesy grin on his face throughout the whole thing. "However, you will have to endure strenuous training while you're here, and you will have to keep up with Goku and Vegita. Are you willing to do so?" he asked. She nodded in reply. Vegita smirked.   
  
"Heh. I doubt that you'll be able to keep up with us." Vegita said to her. She just shot him a glare and turned back to King Kai.   
"It's fine with me." She said.   
  
"Alright. Then we'll start off light with ordinary sparring. And no ki attacks." King Kai said. "Natalie you can go with Vegita this time."  
  
"My pleasure." Vegita said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Oh, come off it, Vegita. I'm not all THAT bad, you know." Natalie snapped. Vegita shut up and began to spar with her.  
  
"I see you got all made up to visit us, huh?" Vegita said, observing Natalie's makeup.  
  
"Actually", she began, "I had an unfortunate encounter with the snake princess and just barely managed to escape. Why, you think it brings out my eyes?" She said, winking at him while dodging one of his attempted blows to the stomach. Vegita just clenched his teeth and fought more fiercely, determined to get her at a weak moment and dissipate her cocky attitude.   
  
  
On Earth, Kira and Trunks were training in the gravity room. They had been doing so for almost three hours, taking a break every 45 minutes.   
  
"Had enough yet?" Trunks asked, wiping a bit of sweat off his brow.   
  
"Yeah." The girl said, panting, and crouching with her hands on her knees. She hadn't trained this hard since her grandpa had been killed. She was very happy that her own dad was training her. In the future, he had taken over Capsule Corp. after her great-grandpa had retired, so her dad never really had time to train with her. Often, her mother would help him run the company to keep herself busy during the day. Kira sighed to herself. Maybe it would all change as a result of Orion's defeat? She could only hope.  
  
"Come on, then. Let's go in and get you cleaned up." Trunks said. Kira stood up straight and followed her dad into the building with the ends of her training pants dragging under her feet. As she walked inside, she felt so dizzy and far away from the reality that stood right before her. All of the colors and shapes began swimming and twisting in front of her eyes, and she felt like she could reach out and mold them into desirable shapes.  
  
"Kira? Are you okay?" Trunks asked, noticing her far away look. She heard him, but his voice was distorted, and out of sync with his lip movements. She fell off balance, swaying from side to side. She almost fell, but Trunks caught her and knelt down, looking into her eyes with worry expressed in his own. Kira tried to say something, but her mouth couldn't form words, and she couldn't produce sounds. Trunks immediately noticed this and remembered that these symptoms were a result of an extremely low supply of energy. If he didn't get help soon, all of her systems would shut down and suffocate her.  
  
"Damnit." He hissed. He had already lost one person today. He wasn't about to lose another. He didn't waste one precious second calling for his mother. He brought Kira into his arms and lifted her off of the ground, holding her close to his muscular chest. She just shuddered in his grasp. Without wasting anymore time, he ran for Natalie's room. He heard Bulma walk up the stairs in her lab coat, obviously aware that something was wrong.  
  
"Trunks? Kira? Can you hear me? What's going on?" the blue-haired woman called as she took slow steps up the stairs. Trunks lay Kira on the bed in her back with her legs stretched out and her hands folded across her chest. He then placed his one palm on top of her tiny hands and another on her forehead and began to donate some of his energy to her. Based on past experiences with Natalie, this should fix the problem. After about ten seconds, Trunks staggered forward and lost his concentration.  
  
"That should be enough." He said, his voice nothing more than a whisper. He then slumped onto the bed, sitting next to the still unconscious Kira. He ran his hand down her cheek and brushed strands of purple hair out of her face. Seeing her made his heart melt. But it wasn't the same feeling he got when he looked at Natalie. No, he knew this was something different. After this, he would be more careful and protective of his daughter. Maybe training her wasn't the best idea. At least not for three hours. He seemed to forget her tender age when he had been sparring with her in the gravity chamber. She had so much power, so much potential. She went Super Saiyan at age five! Of course, she was the offspring of two incredibly fierce warriors. Thinking about Natalie made him sad, angry. He was angry with her for overextending herself. Her was angry with himself for letting her go off alone, not knowing what dangers lie ahead.   
  
Just then, Bulma popped her head into the room. Her blue hair was pulled into a messy bun and she had goggles hanging from her neck.   
  
"Are you two okay?" she asked, studying the scene. "You seemed to hurry inside. I thought that something might be wrong."  
  
"No, everything's fine, mom." Trunks lied. "She's just tired."  
  
"Okay. If you need anything I'll be in the lab."  
  
"Sure." Trunks replied. He didn't want to tell her the truth. If he did, she would never let Kira get near the gravity room again. He knew that after a day of recuperating, she would be up and ready to go. That's how Saiyans tended to be. She stirred in her sleep, catching Trunks' eye. As he looked down at her, she opened her large green eyes and squinted her eyes as they focused on the figure of her father. When she saw him, she smiled and sat up in bed.  
  
"D-Daddy." She said, rubbing her eyes. "What happened?"  
  
"You were just low on energy, that's all." Trunks replied. He looked into the green eyes of his daughter and felt his heart melt as he fell in love.   
  
"Shit!" Natalie cried as Vegita landed a blow to her face. Vegita smirked, a sign that he had succeeded. Natalie growled in anger as a tiny trail of blood ran down her chin. She continued to battle fiercely with the cocky Saiyan prince while Goku and King Kai watched in amazement.  
  
"I must say this girl has amazing skill." King Kai commented.  
  
"Trunks and Vegita trained her." Goku said, still focused on the fight. "She worked really hard, from what I hear."  
  
"That's good. We have a lot to work with then." King Kai replied.  
  
"Are you going to teach her the Kaioken technique?" Goku asked, not turning to King Kai.  
  
"I'm not sure. Besides, you and Vegita are going to train her. I'm just the supervisor."  
  
"Really? Wow." Goku said, and turned back to Natalie and Vegita's sparring match. They were both equally matched when it came to skill, but it was shown from previous training sessions on Earth that Natalie had an advantage when it came to ki attacks. After a few more minutes, King Kai had them stop so that he could examine their state. Natalie had a bloody lip and a few red spots on her arms that would develop into bruises later on. Vegita had suffered a few blows to the face as well and his wrists were bruised from blocking Natalie's attacks.   
  
"Well done you two." King Kai said. "After you cool off, we can begin using ki attacks."  
  
"Oh." Natalie said in between heavy breaths to satisfy her body's oxygen demands. "Do I still get to spar with his Royal Highness over here? I wouldn't want to deflate his ego or anything." She finished. Vegita shot a furious glare at Natalie and she replied with a sneer.   
  
"You little brat!" he cried and threw a punch at her chest. Unfortunately for him, she just blocked it and sent her foot straight between his legs in a not-so-great place almost on instinct. Vegita's eyes bugged and he doubled over. Goku was using all of his will power to keep a straight face, but King Kai had given up and exploded into a fit of laughter. While Vegita was lying on the ground, Natalie walked away and sat down in front of a tree, three feet from where Piccolo was meditating. He cracked one of his eyes open and looked at her as she brought her knees to her chest and rested her head on them.  
  
"So they tired you out already, did they?" Piccolo asked with his usual tone. Natalie turned her head to face him.  
  
"No." she replied.   
  
"Well what are you doing over here? Can't you see that I'm busy?" he said coldly.  
  
"Sorry to bother." She said and walked away with her arms crossed. Piccolo just rolled his eyes and continued meditating. Natalie joined Goku and Vegita once again.  
  
"Oh, there you are." King Kai said, seeing Natalie walk up. "We were just about to start again. Uh...I don't suggest sparring with Vegita right now. He's a bit...angry." King Kai finished. Natalie glanced over to where Vegita was standing against the side of the house with a sadistic look on his face.  
  
"Oh I think I can take him on." Natalie said, deliberately trying to catch Vegita's attention. His head snapped around and he looked at Natalie with a lethal glare in his eyes.   
  
"Bring it on." He growled. Natalie got into a fighting stance.  
  
"Now, now you two. I don't think it would be wise to-"  
  
"Shut up old man. She brought it on herself." Vegita snapped, getting into a fighting stance as well. The two just looked at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Suddenly, Vegita's eye twitched and Natalie flew at him with amazing speed. Vegita just dodged and tried to bring her down with a blow to the back, but she swung around before he got a chance.   
  
"If you think I'm going to hold out on you this time you're making a mistake." Vegita said in an angry tone. Natalie suddenly stopped fighting and stood before him with her arms crossed.  
  
"So you had been holding back, huh?" she said, obviously annoyed. "Did you think I couldn't take it or something?"  
  
"A puny female like yourself can hardly take getting up on time in the morning! What makes you think you're an adequate fighter?" Vegita shot back.  
  
"Puny female? Take that back you egotistical ass hole!" she shouted.  
  
"Or maybe if you could take your mind off my son for a few minutes, you could concentrate on more important things." Vegita shouted, continuing to taunt Natalie.  
  
"Oh, that's it." Natalie said, producing an unusually enraged look on her face. "You are going to be sorry."  
  
"Try me." Vegita said. Suddenly Natalie's aura exploded before her and her hair flashed gold, spiking outwards. She let out a scream and then looked back at Vegita with an absolutely infuriated look on her eyes.   
  
"What the hell?" Vegita said. He hadn't seen her go super Saiyan for the first time on Earth, and didn't know that she had the ability. After a few seconds of surprise, he regained his composure and sneered. "I can do that too, you know." He said, and then transformed as well.   
  
"Let's go." Natalie said with a smirk on her face. The both then raced towards each other, battling faster than the eye could see. Occasionally Goku and King Kai could see a flash of gold, but that was all. They heard them yelling insults at each other and throwing punches.   
  
"Goku we have to stop this. They could seriously hurt each other if this keeps up." King Kai said, his voice filled with concern and a bit of annoyance. Goku nodded and jumped into the battle, pushing Natalie and Vegita away from each other with his hands.  
  
"You stay out of this, Kakarott! If that girl wants to get her tail kicked, that's her priority." Vegita shouted.  
  
"You, kick my tail? I doubt that you royal pain in the ass." Natalie shouted back.   
  
"QUIET!" Goku roared, stunning Natalie and Vegita both. "King Kai orders that you two stop this senseless fighting. We're here to train, not beat the living hell out of each other." Goku said firmly. Natalie had never seen Goku angry like this and was almost afraid. He still stood with his hands on both of their chests, making sure that they wouldn't lunge towards each other. Natalie knew he was right. She had let her rage get the best of her. Maybe it was the Saiyan side of her surfacing, but, whatever it was, she didn't like it.  
  
"I-I'm..." Natalie started. Her ego was trying to prevent her from doing this, but she shoved that aside. "I'm sorry, Vegita. I could hardly control what I was doing. I didn't mean to-"  
  
"Hmph." Vegita said, folding his arms. "I didn't think you'd give up that easily."  
  
"Why you-" Natalie started, but was stopped abruptly by Goku's strong grip.  
  
"Natalie, stop. What's come over you?" Goku said, gripping her shoulders and facing her.   
  
"I-I don't know..." she said. "But why aren't you yelling at Vegita? He's always mean and nobody ever does anything about THAT!" Natalie shouted. Tears streamed down her face and she fought to control the hiccup-like convulsions that fought to overtake her. Goku looked at her and felt sorry for her. He knew that she couldn't control it when she became enraged. It was a common Saiyan trait. Vegita didn't want to say so, but he felt sorry for her too. He knew that these weren't her normal tendencies. King Kai had Natalie rest for a while, while Goku and Vegita sparred. She staggered over to the tree that she had been sitting under earlier and slumped onto the ground. She brought her knees close to her chest and hugged them, burying her face in the fabric of her training pants. She felt like a disgrace. Here she was, one of the only female warriors on Earth, and she couldn't keep her temper under control. Piccolo was watching her out of the corner of his eye as she sat sobbing underneath the shade of the tree.   
  
"Hmph...pathetic. Their emotions are their weak spots." Piccolo muttered.  
  
"I heard that." Natalie said, not even turning her head. Piccolo just growled.  
  
"It's the truth, whether you like it or not." He replied.  
  
"Well I'm sorry for having feelings, but unlike you, I can't do anything about it! And while you're meditating why don't you concentrate on ways to stop acting like such an ass to every person that comes within ten feet of you!" Natalie cried, taking in a large amount of air and sighing. Her head was throbbing and she could hear her pulse in her ears.   
  
"Heh. You're worse than Bulma." He said, allowing a smirk to form on his face.  
  
"In that case you don't know me very well." Natalie said, smiling as well. The two then sat in silence, the only noises in the background being Goku and Vegita's grunts and shouts as they sparred fiercely under King Kai's watch. "And anyways, I don't know if I 'm going to be able to take this until we're wished back." She continued.  
  
"Surely you won't give up that easily. I thought you were supposed to be a great fighter." Piccolo commented. "Though, I wouldn't expect much for a female."  
  
"Don't be sexist!" She cried. "It's obvious that I'm as good a fighter as anyone here. After all, Orion killed you three. I defeated him."  
  
"Yes, but then how did you end up here?" Piccolo asked with his harsh tone of voice.  
  
"Well..." Natalie started. It was obvious that she was ashamed of the cause of her death. "I overextended myself in training."  
  
"And we all know that none of the fighters here would be foolish enough to do such a thing." Piccolo said with a sneer on his face.  
  
"Hey give me some credit here. I've only been training for four months." Natalie huffed, folding her arms. Piccolo facefaulted.  
  
"F-four...four months?" he stammered. "T-then how did you become as powerful as us? We've trained all our lives to achieve this level of power!"  
  
"It...comes naturally? What can I say I had powerful parents." Natalie said, with a hint of pride in her voice. "Besides I had some help." She continued, and nodded her head in Vegita's direction. Piccolo smirked.   
  
"Well even if you are as powerful as you claim, that doesn't make you any more of a fighter than us." He began. "We have all learned that with great power comes tremendous responsibility and maturity."  
  
"Yeah, yeah I know all that. Don't blame me for oversleeping once in a while." She said, smiling. "So then why did you sacrifice your life fighting Orion?" Natalie asked. "I mean, you could have just watched from a distance and you wouldn't have been killed."  
  
"I suppose it's my duty. If you had presented me with the same situation twenty years ago I would have blown you to bits." He replied. Natalie cringed at Piccolo's comment, knowing that he spoke the truth.  
  
"NATALIE!" King Kai called. Natalie's head perked up and she looked in his direction.  
  
"Yes?" she shouted back.  
  
"It's time to train once more. Are you ready for it?" the god asked. Natalie remembered fighting with Vegita earlier and almost backed out. She then remembered Piccolo's words, "tremendous responsibility and maturity". She then swallowed her pride, stood on her feet, and walked towards King Kai with a look of determination on her face. 


	19. Chapter 19

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 19 - Confessions  
  
  
Trunks and Kira slept soundly that night. After all, they had spent the day exerting themselves tremendously. The little girl had fallen asleep in Trunks' lap while he was talking to her before bed. It reminded her of being home.   
  
The next day, Trunks awoke early. The sun was just beginning to peak above the horizon, signaling the start of a new day. He then looked at Kira, who was stirring. He couldn't understand how he could love someone so much that he had just met. There was something about her that just captured his heart. He was extremely upset that Natalie was not here to see her daughter. But, somehow, he knew that things would work out in their favor.  
  
Natalie, Goku, and Vegita were all sprawled out on the ground of King Kai's planet, sleeping. After an extremely trying day of training, the three were completely worn out. Kaio-sama had cooked a large meal in reward for their work, which they had devoured within five minutes. Piccolo, of course, being a Namek, just asked for a glass of water. King Kai was personally worried about Natalie. She knew that she, like all Saiyans, had a dark side to her. He knew that when she got infuriated, her instincts would take over and she would be helpless to stop it. There had to be something he could so to purge that evil form so that she would be free of it forever. He watched as she tossed and turned in her sleep, narrowly missing Vegeta as she swung her arm around to the side. Piccolo was in the corner, meditating of all things.  
  
"Doesn't he ever get bored?" King Kai asked himself. Bubbles grunted, signaling his disapproval of the present situation.  
  
"Great breakfast mom!" Gohan said, burping uncontrollably. He had come home for a visit, bringing Videl and Pan with him. Goten sat at the edge of the table with a slightly annoyed look on his face. Ever since his older brother had arrived the previous afternoon afternoon, nobody had so much as looked at him for longer than a few seconds.  
  
"Hey, why don't we pay Bulma and Vegita a visit?" Videl suggested.   
  
"Sounds good to me. What do you say, mom?" Gohan replied, looking at his mother. Pan, of course, agreed. She wanted to see her friend again. Goten sighed. There was a gnawing at his stomach that had been bothering since yesterday. Something just wasn't right. Maybe Trunks knew something about it as well. After everyone helped to clean up, they all filled the aircar and set out for Capsule Corp.   
  
While Trunks and Kira sat downstairs, Bulma tended to Bra. She had been sick with a high fever for a couple of days, and hadn't even ventured outside her door. Trunks then realized that Bra hadn't met Kira yet. Kira seemed to have read his thoughts, because she spoke up.  
  
"Daddy, where's aunt Bra?" she asked. Trunks looked at her with surprise. Aunt Bra? Of course! It just seemed strange since Bra was only five years old at the time.  
  
"She's upstairs with a fever." He replied, glancing at the ceiling as if he were to see through it and locate his sister.   
  
"Let's go see her!" Kira said, jumping up from her seat. Trunks began to protest, but he figured that it wouldn't do any harm. Kira bounded up the stairs while Trunks trudged after her. The little girl was in such a hurry that she almost smacked straight into Bulma, who was just exiting Bra's room with a tray full of empty soup bowls and juice boxes.  
  
"Whoa sorry, mom." Trunks said, as he caught the fallen items and handed them back to Bulma, who was still in shock.  
  
"Where do you two think you are going? Your sister is very sick. If you go in there, you'll catch her virus!" Bulma snapped.  
  
"Relax, mom we'll be fine." He replied, and nudged Kira, who had been standing next to Trunks with wide eyes. The two continued while Bulma rolled her eyes.  
  
"Those two are relentless. I'm going to get grey hair."   
  
Kira cracked the door to Bra's room, causing it to squeak a little. Inside, it was dark and stuffy, and sniffles could be heard within.   
  
"Who's there?" Bra asked, her voice raspy and barely above a whisper.  
  
"It's me...er...us." Trunks replied.  
  
"Is Natalie back?" Bra asked, not even turning her head. She was neck high in her fluffy comforter and her blue-green hair was matted to her head.  
  
"Well, no." Trunks said. Bra had obviously heard of Natalie's death from his mother.  
  
"Bra?" Kira asked softly. She then realized that her aunt was the same age as she was. This should be fun!   
  
"Who-?" Bra said, sitting up on her elbows and turning to face her visitors. "Who are you?" she asked, studying Kira. Kira wasn't sure how to answer the question, so Trunks spoke up for her.  
  
"Uh...she's my daughter...from the future! She's from the future." He said. Bra's eyes went wide and she sat up completely, but swayed from side to side a bit as a result of light-headedness.   
  
"What's your name?" Bra asked, coughing a few times.  
  
"Kira." She replied. She was shy at first, but then strolled over to Bra's bed and examined her carefully. "You look different." She commented. Bra sneezed in Kira's face accidentally.   
  
"Is your mom Natalie?" Bra asked cutely. Kira nodded sadly and Bra chuckled in response. "Where did you come from?"  
  
"The future." Kira replied.  
  
"Let's go, Kira. We need to let Bra get some rest." Trunks said, leading Kira out of the room. The girl waved to Bra as she left and Trunks shut the door softly.  
  
"She looks kinda like me." Kira said. Trunks laughed.  
  
"You two look completely different." He said. Of course, this was because Bra was his sister and she wasn't particularly his favorite person in the world. "First of all, she has blue hair. Yours is purple." He began. "And her eyes are blue, while yours are green." He continued.  
  
"You're funny daddy." Kira said happily. "Will you give me a piggy-back ride?" she asked. Trunks couldn't resist, and hoisted her onto his shoulders. She laughed with delight as he carried her around Capsule Corp., and even outside a bit. Suddenly, just as he ran outside again, he saw the Son aircar pull up.   
  
"Oh, no." Trunks thought to himself. "How am I going to explain this situation? They don't even know who Kira is, and now I have to tell them that Nat is dead!"   
  
Goten jumped out of the aircar and ran up to his friend.  
  
"Haha, what are you doing Trunks? Babysitting?" he said, looking at the innocent-eyed girl.   
  
"I'll explain later." Trunks whispered to Goten.  
  
"Well hello Trunks! And who is this cute little girl?" Videl said, walking up. Gohan followed, with Pan and Chi-Chi not far behind.  
  
"Gohan, Chi-Chi. What a...nice surprise." Trunks said, doing his best to play it cool.  
  
"Well, we thought we'd stop by and say hello. Is your mother in?" Chi-Chi asked.   
  
"Yeah she's in the lab." Trunks replied. When everyone had gone in except for Goten, Trunks turned to his friend and sighed, trying to think of how to explain the situation. Before he could open his mouth, Goten spoke up.  
  
"Where's Nat?" he asked. "Does she know you're with another woman?" he said, laughing. When he saw the seriousness on Trunks' face, however, he stopped.  
  
"Nat...she isn't here right now." Trunks said with a stone cold look on his face.  
  
"Mommy's gone." Kira blurted out. Goten looked up at her suspiciously.  
  
"What?" he said with a flat tone.  
  
"Uncle Goten you're funny looking." Kira said joyfully. Goten glared at the girl, but her happy look remained.  
  
"Trunks what are you not telling me here? And where is Nat?" Goten asked. Trunks could tell that he wasn't kidding.  
  
"Goten...she isn't here." Trunks said, his voice breaking off. "She-"  
  
"Mommy died." Kira said, her eyes teary. Goten looked up at Kira once more, this time with curiosity instead of annoyance.   
  
"Trunks? Is this true?" Goten asked. Trunks nodded, staring at the grass as is swayed in the light breeze. He looked up and could see Goten's eyes starting to water. He forced them back down, however, and looked at his friend.   
  
"She was training." Trunks began, almost choking on his words. "She trained too hard. Too hard..." his voice trailed off.   
  
"Oh man I'm so sorry Trunks." Goten said. "Wow..."  
  
"I couldn't save her. I just couldn't get to her fast enough." Trunks continued.   
  
"Trunks stop. You're blaming yourself again." Goten said sternly. "You can't blame yourself!"  
  
"How can you say that Goten!? You weren't there! You didn't see her die!" Trunks said, shouting at his friend. Goten stepped back and Kira stiffened in fear. "You didn't have to watch helplessly as the life slipped from her body!"   
  
"Oh, really?" Goten said, gritting his teeth. "You think I haven't seen anyone die before? You think I haven't had my fair share of it? You can't let this eat away at you! Sometimes, you just can't control it." Goten cried. Trunks looked at his friend in disbelief. Seeing Goten angry was rare, and seeing him red in the face furious was even more remarkable.   
  
"Look man I'm sorry." Trunks said, calming down and lowering his power level, which had risen with his anger. "You just have no idea..."  
  
"I know, Trunks, I know." Goten replied. "You know that we're going to wish her back and everything will be fine."  
  
"Yeah." Trunks said, emitting a sound that was mixed between a laugh and a cough. "I just don't know what I'm going to do with myself until then."  
  
"So, about Kira?" Goten asked, smirking. Trunks looked up at Goten and smirked as well.   
  
"Oooh, Trunks you devil." Goten said. "So you scored in the future." Trunks blushed and then laughed it off. Kira once again produced the joyful look on her face, though she didn't have a clue of what they were talking about.   
  
"How am I going to explain this to dad?" Trunks said, looking towards the building, though he knew that Vegita wasn't in there. He then wondered if King Kai had told him already.   
  
  
Speaking of King Kai, he was sitting happily on the hood of his car with a bowl of rice in his hands, watching Goku and Natalie spar.   
  
"Don't be afraid to make contact!" King Kai yelled at the two, who were reluctant to deliver blows to each other. "You'll never get anywhere if you hesitate to hit one another."  
  
"Sure." Vegita said. "I wouldn't mind kicking my foot straight up Kakarott's-"  
  
"Vegita don't go any further with that!" King Kai shouted. The Saiyan prince just chuckled as the mental picture appeared in his head. Goku and Natalie picked up the pace and sparred more fiercely. Natalie managed to punch Goku in the jaw, and Goku landed a couple of blows to her arms and face. After a few more minutes King Kai let them rest.  
  
"Vegita you and Piccolo are up." He said. Vegita walked out into the clearing and Piccolo looked up from meditating.  
  
"I'm not sparring." Piccolo growled. King Kai looked at him with an irritated look on his face.  
  
"All you've done since you've arrived has been to meditate! Why don't you join us just this once?" he shouted. Piccolo kept his temper under control and joined Vegita.   
  
"So green been has decided to join in the fun." Vegita sneered.  
  
"If you're tying to anger me, then you should save your breath." Piccolo shot back. Natalie, who was standing next to Goku, laughed in between heavy breaths. Vegita shot her a glare, which she disregarded. Goku watched as Piccolo hit Vegita in the gut, to which the prince responded to with ki blast to Piccolo's face.  
  
"Vegita! I said no ki attacks!" King Kai shouted. Vegita and Piccolo stopped sparring for a moment while Vegita turned to King Kai.  
  
"Come on old man!" Vegita protested. "We didn't come here just to perform hand-to-hand combat."   
  
"Don't disrespect King Kai, Vegita." Goku spoke up. "He's here to help us. If we don't perfect our fighting techniques then we'll be no use in battle."  
  
"Right. What he said." Natalie said, examining her nails and not even bothering to look up.   
  
"You stay out of this girl." Vegita yelled.  
  
"Why should I?" Natalie said, cocking an eyebrow.   
  
"Stop it you two!" Goku shouted. "Get back to fighting." Vegita growled and began sparring with Piccolo again.   
  
  
Back at Capsule Corp., Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Videl were sitting at the kitchen table sipping tea while they talked amongst themselves.  
  
"Oh Bulma honey we're so sorry." Chi-Chi said, after hearing the news about Natalie. "She seemed like a great girl."   
  
"Oh that's not even the beginning." Bulma said, taking a sip of her tea, which was in a mug with "I Love You Mommy" written in red crayon. "That girl you saw. She's from the future." She continued. "And you won't believe it. She's Natalie and Trunks' daughter!" Everyone grew wide-eyed at the recent discovery.   
  
"That must have been a shock to learn." Videl said. Bulma nodded in agreement.   
  
"What does Vegita think?" Chi-Chi asked.   
  
"He was already gone by the time she arrived. I don't think he knows." Bulma replied.  
  
"Well that's probably a good thing." Videl commented.   
  
Meanwhile, Gohan had joined Goten and Trunks outside. He was just as surprised to learn about Kira as Goten had been, but was more mature about it.   
  
"I can't believe she's already gone super Saiyan. She's so small." Gohan said, looking at Kira, who was now sitting in the grass. "I'll bet she has some interesting DNA combinations as a result of the mixed races." Gohan continued.   
  
"Say what?" Goten said, obviously confused. Trunks and Gohan laughed at Goten's naiveté.   
  
"Well you always said that science was never your best subject." Trunks commented, nudging Goten in the ribs.   
  
"Hey cut it out." He complained. "Just because I'm not the child of a super genius or the product of vigorous study habits doesn't mean you have to laugh!"   
  
"Sorry." Trunks said, but with a smile still on his face. Gohan nodded, showing that he felt the same.   
  
"So what are you going to do about their school?" Chi-Chi asked Bulma.   
  
"I don't know Chi-Chi." Bulma sighed. "Obviously this isn't going to work out. I guess I'll just have them home schooled until things are back to normal...if that's even possible." She finished. Videl shook her head sadly.   
  
"Well Pan should be starting kindergarten next year, so I hope that things will going smoothly by then." She said.   
  
"Sometimes I wonder if it's even worth it anymore." Bulma started, taking a sip of tea in between sentences. "It's so aggravating to be the wife of a Saiyan prince and the mother of two half alien-half humans and trying to take care of myself at the same time."   
  
"I know what you bean, Bulma. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if we were just ordinary women with ordinary families out there with relatively no problems, leading a relatively carefree life and not having to worry about whether our husbands come home." Chi-Chi said. Videl and Bulma looked at her in surprise.  
  
"I've never thought of it like that before." Videl said. "You know, I think I'm glad that I don't lead an average life. It makes it that much more exciting."  
  
"You're right. I don't know what I'd do if I married an ordinary man." Bulma said. And then the other two women knew exactly what was coming. "Like Yamcha. I mean look at him! He leads the most boring life."  
  
"Well, Bulma we'd love to stay but we have some things to catch up on. And Gohan was going to take us all out shopping today." Chi-Chi said. "That little Gohan. Always thinking of his family." This comment, as was expected by Bulma, stung. She knew that Vegita would never do some of the things that Goku did for Chi-Chi and Gohan for Videl. She decided not to dwell and forced a smile onto her face.  
  
"That's nice of him. Have fun then." Bulma said, showing them to the door. She saw that Goten and Trunks were wrestling while Gohan did his best trying to teach Kira how to find the circumference of a circle.   
  
"Let's go boys!" Chi-Chi called out to her two sons. Gohan said goodbye to Kira and joined his wife and Goten looked up from being pinned to the ground.   
  
"I'd better go get Pan from Bra's room." Videl said, rushing back into the Capsule Corp. building.   
  
"Oh, come on mom. Can't I stay here for the day?" Goten pleaded with Chi-Chi.  
  
"Goten you don't even have Bulma's permission to stay. You don't just invite yourself." She replied.   
  
"Oh that would be fine. Trunks would love it." Bulma whispered to Chi-Chi.   
  
"Are you sure? I don't want to impose..."  
  
"It's fine. Now go on." Bulma said, seeing her friend to the aircar. Just then Videl and Pan came running out the front door.  
  
"Don't leave without us!" Videl said, jumping into the car. After a few seconds getting situated, the Son family, with the exception of Goten, took off down the road.   
  
"Thanks for letting me stay Bulma. I hate shopping." Goten said.  
  
"Oh it's my pleasure! Besides I could use a little extra help with the dishes." She said wryly. Goten took a few steps back and stammered a bit. "Just kidding. Now let's get inside I have to go give Bra her lunch."   
  
Goten stayed the night after much pleading by Goten and Trunks. Bulma and Chi-Chi finally gave in, realizing that their grown sons were acting like eight-year-olds again. Kira camped out in the boys' room as well, enjoying every minute. When the three finally got to sleep, it was well past midnight. Trunks stayed up a little longer then Kira and Goten, just so that he could watch his daughter sleeping.   
  
The next morning, the three slept in until their bodies signaled the start of the day. Bulma planned to go to Trunks and Natalie's school to get their books so that they could begin home schooling as soon as possible.   
  
"Who's going to stay with Bra?" Trunks asked in between bites of his breakfast. "I want to go along just to see the place one last time."  
  
"I can stay if you want." Goten volunteered. After all he didn't want to change out of his pajamas just yet. "I'll watch Bra and Kira both."  
  
"Thanks Goten you're such a nice boy." Trunks said, trying to imitate his mother's voice. Goten and Kira started laughing while Bulma rolled her eyes.  
  
After rushing around getting ready, Trunks and Bulma left for the school. Bulma even let Trunks drive the aircar, as long as he promised to stay under the speed limit.  
  
"You just don't understand." Trunks wailed, checking the speedometer every ten seconds. "After jetting through the sky at super Saiyan speeds it's so hard to keep it under sixty."  
  
"I don't care! You're going to have to get used to it unless you plan on hiring someone to do it for you!" Bulma replied. They reached the school after a few miles of tension and aggravation, not to mention a ticket for running a red light. Trunks got out of the car with hesitation, not wanting to run into any of his friends and try to make up an excuse. Fortunately for him, everyone was already in class. As he walked down the hall towards his locker, he passed the physics room. He looked inside and noticed that his class was inside. Everyone was there, with the exception of himself. Then, he noticed something strange. Where was that kid, Ryan? He hadn't been going to the school for long...so surely he hadn't left already.   
  
"Strange." He thought to himself as he passed by. He passed Natalie's locker on the way, and grabbed her books to take home with him. When he finally collected his things, he headed back to the front of the school where Bulma was waiting for him.  
  
"Did you get everything?" she asked, observing him struggle with the armload of materials.  
  
"I-I think so." Trunks stuttered.  
  
"Okay let's go." She said, and turned for the door. Trunks did his best to balance the books in his arms and headed after his mother. He drove home, this time managing to knock the side-view mirror off of a parked car. When they arrived at Capsule Corp., Goten was outside with Kira, and Bra was sitting on the steps wrapped in a blanket. Trunks unloaded and headed towards the three.  
  
"I thought she could use some fresh air." Goten said, gesturing at Bra, who had now huddled next to the boy, clinging to his arm.   
  
"Looks like you have a new girlfriend." Trunks joked. Bra stuck out her tongue.  
  
"When you get finished, you wanna spar? I haven't fought with anyone since the battle and I'm getting restless." Goten said, fidgeting. Trunks sighed and remembered when he and Natalie used to spar, just for fun. "Trunks?" Goten said, snapping his friend out of a daze.  
  
"Oh, yeah. When I get done we'll go out back." Trunks said and headed for the door quickly. Goten knew that there was something bothering him. He had an idea of what it was, too. 


	20. Chapter 20

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion  
  
Chapter 20 - Return to Earth   
  
  
Natalie, Goku, Vegita, and Piccolo stood before King Kai. This was the last day of their training. As of tomorrow, the dragon balls would be recharged and ready to be used, after 2 1/2 months of hard training.  
  
Natalie stood in between Goku and Piccolo, and was dwarfed by their mass. Yet, she had a look of determination on her face and it was obvious that she had improved since she began. Goku had managed to teach her to teleport, and Piccolo showed her the Makankosappo, though she wasn't very good, as shown during previous attempts. Her Saiyan tail swished behind her in anticipation. She couldn't wait to see Trunks again. She longed to be near him.   
  
Vegita studied Natalie out of the corner of his eye. She definitely was a fighter. But it was different with her. He couldn't place his finger on it, but she wasn't like everyone else.  
  
"Well I must say I am very proud of the four of you." King Kai said, bringing Vegita back to reality. "I can see that you haven't changed since the last time I met you. And it was nice to get to know you for the first time, Natalie." Natalie looked up from staring at the ground and it was obvious that she hadn't heard a word he said.  
  
"Oh, uh...yeah." She said, nodding her head. She couldn't take her mind off of Trunks, and Kira. She hoped that she was doing all right.   
  
Trunks and Kira sat on the roof of the dome-shaped building of Capsule Corp. The sun had set but the clouds covered the night sky, blocking out any light from the stars.   
  
"Tomorrow mommy comes back." Kira said happily. Trunks nodded. He had managed to keep his mind preoccupied during that time by focusing on Kira's training. He was very careful with her, though, after the accident. "Are you sad?" Kira asked, noticing the single tear that fell down Trunks' cheek. He looked at her with sincerity in his eyes.  
  
"No, I'm just very happy." Trunks replied. He had realized how much he cared for Natalie, and that he could not live without her. He willed the day to come faster, so that he could see her. He also had to think of a way to explain the situation to his father. He could see it now...Vegita would get mad and threaten to throw Natalie out of the house unless they promised to stay away from each other. Well, maybe he wouldn't get THAT mad. At least he hoped. There had been something bothering him...eating at the back of his mind ever since the day he went back to get his things from school. He couldn't figure out why Ryan was all of the sudden missing. And he remembered the cold receptions he had gotten long ago. Was Ryan possibly connected with Orion? After all, they both showed up at around the same time. And even the names were similar. He had managed, however, to find out where the clones were coming from. They had been simple machines, designed only to capture their prey. They had no fighting skills whatsoever. Orion had used them to try and trick Natalie. Fortunately, he had underestimated her.   
  
"Let's go inside." Kira said, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "I want to go to sleep." Trunks took one last look at the night sky and then floated down to the ground, followed by Kira. Trunks had such a sense of pride in her. It was hard to see the girl as HIS daughter, yet he felt a strong bond between them. He wished that Natalie could be here to share that with him.  
  
"Just be patient...just one more day..." Trunks told himself. But it was that fact that made him so impatient. It was just like the last day of school. All of the sudden, it's right in front of you, but then it won't move. He knew just what to do. He needed to escape into sleep. That always made the day come faster.   
  
The two Saiyans entered Capsule Corp. quietly. Bulma was probably already asleep, and Bra certainly was. During the past couple of months, Trunks could sense a hint of jealousy in Bra's eyes. She probably felt shadowed because of Kira's presence. He couldn't blame her, though. She hadn't gotten much attention lately. But he knew that would all change when his dad got back. Vegita spoiled Bra like there was no tomorrow.  
  
"What are you two doing up?" Trunks snapped back to reality. Bulma was standing at the bottom of the stairs in her nightgown.   
  
"Oh...sorry, mom...we were just-" Trunks broke off  
  
"Oh I'm not mad. I just heard something on the roof and was startled." She replied, her voice heavy with lethargy.   
  
"Go back to bed, mom. We'll be fine." Trunks said. Kira took Bulma's hand and led her upstairs. Trunks followed, realizing that he was quite tired himself. He quickly slid into a pair of boxers and an undershirt as Kira "tucked in" his mother. He could sense something about Kira. There was some sense of desperation behind her eyes. It was as if she was hiding something, and masked it by innocence and a will to please others. He knew that she wouldn't say anything, for she didn't want to risk preventing her birth. Just then, she walked by his door towards Natalie's room. She had slept in there ever since Natalie had "left". He preferred to use that word.  
  
Just then, a dark figure appeared in his window. Trunks immediately froze. His pulse was loud in his ears, and he could feel his heart beat increase in his chest. After only a split second of adrenaline rush, he recognized the ki to be Goten's. Trunks spun around, and sure enough, Goten was standing on his balcony, peering inside the window. Trunks jumped up and opened the doors to the balcony.  
  
"Goten what in the hell are you doing here?" Trunks hissed.  
  
"Whoa sorry, Trunks. Can I stay the night?" he asked.   
  
"What? Do you know what time it is?" Trunks said.  
  
"Sure. I checked before I left, and that was ten minutes ago. Sorry for coming unexpectedly, but I didn't want to call and wake everyone up." Goten explained. "But Gohan came over again and of course, he and Videl got my room, and I really didn't want to spend the night on the floor with Pan."  
  
"That's fine. I know my mom won't care." Trunks answered, and moved out of the doorway to let Goten in.  
  
"Is Kira asleep?" Goten asked. Trunks nodded as he got some clothes out for his friend. Goten had a hard time seeing Trunks as a father. He and Trunks had always been best friends and sparring partners ever since they were young. Sometimes seeing Trunks and Natalie together made him feel lonely. He didn't have good experiences with girls. He just never seemed to keep interest in just one. Sometimes he wondered if he would ever start a family of his own. But what was he worrying about now, he was only fifteen after all.  
  
"You okay Goten?" Trunks asked, noticing that his friend didn't seem very connected with reality. Goten snapped his head up and nodded. The two of them both slid under the covers, sleeping on opposite sides of the bed from each other. Before they could even acknowledge the exhausted state of their bodies, they were fast asleep.   
  
  
Natalie was debating on whether to tell Vegita about Kira before he found out for himself. She could see him getting quite angry at the fact that nobody had told him. Every time she started to approach him, she backed off. She just couldn't do it. Not after what had happened before. They didn't seem to be getting along very well lately. Maybe Vegita already knew about Kira but he wasn't saying anything? Natalie's head spun. Everything was just so confusing.  
  
"Hey Natalie!" Goku called from across the yard. Natalie jumped, and looked up at him.  
  
"What?" she asked, a hint of irritation behind her voice.  
  
"You wanna spar with us?" he asked, gesturing to Vegita and Piccolo. "Just one last time before we go back."   
  
"No." she said coldly. What had come over her? All of the sudden she felt angry.   
  
"Huh?" Goku said, an expression of confusion on his face. "Oh Natalie I know you must miss everyone on Earth. But you've always loved sparring with us. Maybe you can relieve tension that way." Goku suggested.  
  
"I said no!" she shouted. Vegita and Piccolo looked at her and Goku recoiled in surprise.  
  
"If you say so..." Goku trailed off and headed back for the other fighters. Vegita looked at Natalie, who was sitting against that same tree that she always sought refuge under. He knew that there was something she was hiding from everyone. And he was going to find out. He walked toward her, his arms folded and his eyes narrowed. Just as she looked up, he was three feet away from her.  
  
"What is your problem girl?" Vegita asked.  
  
"Nothing that concerns you." Natalie snapped back. She couldn't believe this. Now even Vegita was on to her. She had to think of something, fast.  
  
"Don't talk to me like that. I didn't do anything to you." Vegita said, his voice surprisingly calm.   
  
"Vegita," Natalie sighed. "I don't think I should talk about it right now. Trust me you'll find out soon enough." She said. Vegita looked at her suspiciously.   
  
"Are you pregnant?" he asked. Natalie facefaulted.  
  
"What!?" she cried. She couldn't believe that he even suspected her of something like that.  
  
"You heard me." He said. "Well?"  
  
"Vegita I am not pregnant! You think I'm some kind of a slut?" Natalie said, obviously outraged. Vegita laughed. "That isn't funny!" she cried, but Vegita continued laughing. Soon, Natalie started to laugh as well. First it was just a giggle, but soon she was on the ground and on the brink of tears. Goku and Piccolo were watching the scene with sweatdrops. Piccolo sneered.  
  
"She certainly has a way with him." He commented. Goku nodded, his jaw still dropped and his hand behind his head. Natalie eventually stopped laughing and looked around, realizing that everyone was staring at her.  
  
"What?" she said, throwing her arms into the air in protest. Piccolo, Goku, and Vegita slowly turned their gaze away from Natalie and towards King Kai, who was standing in the doorway of his house.  
  
"Is there a problem?" the blue-skinned god asked, cocking an eyebrow. As always, his eyes were unseen because of his ridiculous sunglasses.   
  
"Nope! No problem here!" Natalie said, laughing nervously. King Kai looked at her, and then at the group of men, and then back at Natalie.   
  
"Right..." King Kai said, drawing the word out. "Obviously I missed something."  
  
"No, no. There's nothing to see here King Kai." Natalie said, not doing a very good job of convincing him.  
  
"Great job, girl." Vegita said under his breath.   
  
"Well...um..." Natalie started, clearing her throat. "I guess we should get back to sparring!" She headed towards Piccolo and Goku, passing Vegita on the way and nudging him in the ribs.  
  
"Don't ever pursue a career in acting." Piccolo commented. Natalie sneered at him before challenging him to a match.   
  
"Well if you think you're so tough, why don't you prove it?" she said, curling index finger inward as to say "come here". Piccolo looked at her strangely before stepping forward.  
  
"Fine, if it will shut you up." He said, throwing off his weighted cape and shoulder guards. Natalie smiled triumphantly. Not that she had any doubt in her manipulative abilities.   
  
"Well are you going to spar or just sit there with that stupid grin on your face?" Piccolo shouted. Natalie snapped her head up and looked at him.  
  
"Bring it on." She said, folding her arms. Goku and Vegita watched with interest.  
  
"I hope Piccolo doesn't hurt her." Goku commented.   
  
"You fool. There's no way that green bean could get the best of the girl." Vegita snapped.  
  
"How do you know, Vegita?" Goku asked.  
  
"Haven't you seen her in battle before? You know she doesn't give in so easily." Vegita replied.  
  
"Oh, I don't know. Piccolo isn't the type to hold back for anyone." Goku said.  
  
"Neither am I and she's proven to be almost as good as you or me." Vegita said. "I just can't understand why she gained so much skill in only a few months, when it took us 20 years. There has to be something very different about her."  
  
"Maybe she's a high class warrior." Goku suggested. "She is Saiya-jin, isn't she?"  
  
"Yes, Kakarott she is a Saiya-jin. But only half Saiya-jin. There's another race mixed in there. I don't know what it's called." Vegita said.  
  
"Well why don't you ask her? Maybe she will know, and she could tell us who her parents are." Goku said, and then turned back to the fight. It seemed that Natalie was having a harder time with Piccolo, since he had different techniques and she had never trained under him before. He launched a blast at her, and just as she brought her arms up to block it, he struck, knocking her back. She regained her balance, and with hurt pride, charged a ki blast of her own. She threw it at him, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. As expected, Piccolo blocked it.  
  
While Piccolo was busy throwing ki blasts and punches at her, she put up a ki shield, crossed her arms over her face, and concentrated. She hoped that she would be able to perform the attack correctly and totally blow him away. Not literally, of course. As she concentrated, the frontal region of her skull, in the area of her forehead, began to tingle. This was totally new to her, and broke her concentration,  
  
"Looks like you couldn't handle it." Piccolo sneered. Natalie was still a bit dazed and was trying to make sense of the situation when a large blast slammed into her, knocking her forward and onto her knees. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke.   
  
"Who did it?" she said with a dull tone of voice, as if she was really quite irritated. Nobody answered. She figured that it was either Piccolo or Vegita, as they tended to do that a lot. She dusted herself off and stood on her feet, stretching her muscles in the process. "All I can say is, good job." Natalie said, extending her hand to Piccolo. He, however, stood in place and didn't bother accepting the handshake. Natalie shrugged and walked off.  
  
  
Goten awoke the next morning, forgetting that he had spent the night at Capsule Corp., sat up in bed with a start. Trunks awoke and looked around the room, blinking several times.  
  
"What's the matter?" Trunks asked. Goten looked at him with a grin on his face.  
  
"Come on!" he said, grabbing Trunks by the hand and jetting down the stairs. "Where did you put them?" he asked hurriedly.  
  
"Put what?" Trunks said, quite confused with the situation.  
  
"The dragon balls, moron! Where did you put them?" Goten replied.   
  
"Oh yeah!" Trunks said, remembering that today was the day that everyone would be wished back. He ran up the stairs and swung the door to his mother's room wide open.  
  
"What the!" Bulma cried, sitting up in bed. "What are you two doing!?"  
  
"Sorry." Goten said. "We were looking for the dragon balls."  
  
"Oh." Bulma said, placing a hand over her forehead. "Of course. They're in the science wing in the second door on the left." She said.  
  
"Thanks mom." Trunks said. He and Goten headed downstairs towards the science wing, when Kira appeared in front of them, surprising the two boys.  
  
"Damn, Kira you scared us." Goten said. Trunks elbowed him in the ribs, hard. "Ow! What was that for?" Goten cried.   
  
"Are you looking for the dragon balls?" she asked.  
  
"Heh heh...yes we are." Goten said. "Would you like to come with us?" Kira nodded.   
  
After the three of them made their way to the science wing and collected the dragon balls, they headed outside.  
  
"Uh...Trunks." Goten said as Trunks put the balls in a circle.  
  
"What?" Trunks asked, not looking up.  
  
"Don't you think that we should put some clothes on first?" Goten suggested. Trunks stood up and looked at Goten, and then down at his clothes. He then realized that they were both still wearing the same thing that they went to bed in.  
  
"Oh...right." He said. They both headed upstairs to change clothes. After all, they wouldn't form much of an impression if their parents came back and found them in their nightclothes. After much scrambling about upstairs in Trunks' room, the two emerged. Trunks was wearing a black tank top and navy blue training pants with his usual trademark boots. Goten was wearing a tight, white shirt and grey training pants with a pair of boots identical to Trunks'. Kira, nevertheless, remained in her pajamas. Or, rather, Natalie's pajamas, since she didn't exactly bring any clothing with her. The three of them returned outside where the dragon balls were grouped in a circle on the grass. A slight breeze blew, rustling the grass and causing Trunks and Kira's hair to blow in their faces. Trunks turned to Goten.  
  
"Ready?" he asked. Goten nodded.  
  
  
Natalie sat in the grass next to Vegita, watching Goku and Piccolo spar for the third time. She was bored, and fell back onto the grass with her hands behind her head.  
  
"So what are you hiding, girl?" Vegita said, breaking the silence. Natalie looked at him with confusion written all over her face.  
  
"Huh?" she asked, sitting back up.  
  
"You know what I'm talking about. There's something that you are hiding from everyone. And I have a suspicion that it involves more than one person, if you know what I mean." Vegita replied.  
  
"No, I don't know what you mean." Natalie said. "You always think that I'm up to something."  
  
"You have been acting strangely lately. You have this air about you." He said, looking at her suspiciously.   
  
"You know, Vegita, even if there was something wrong with me you don't have to be so rude about it." Natalie snapped. Vegita didn't comment. "Besides, there's this whole concept of patience, you know, and maybe you should look into it."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Vegita said.  
  
"It means, wait until we're wished back. You're bound to find out eventually." Natalie replied. She just didn't feel safe revealing the news about Kira on a tiny planet in the middle of nowhere with nobody around to save her from Vegita's wrath. Suddenly, as if on cue, Natalie, Vegita, Goku, and Piccolo started to glow. King Kai, who had been buffering his car, looked over at them.   
  
"Looks like this is goodbye!" King Kai called to them. Goku, Piccolo, and Vegita all nodded. Natalie, on the other hand, was on the verge of hysterics.  
  
"What the hell is happening to me! Someone save me!" She cried, waving her arms around frantically as her body was lifted slowly into the air. King Kai laughed at her innocence.   
  
"Have a nice trip!" King Kai said, just a split second before the four of them disappeared into thin air.   
  
  
"Your wish has been granted." The eternal dragon growled. The dark sky lit up with lightning and the dragon began to glow. After a clap of thunder consumed the sky, the dragon was gone. The dragon balls rose into the air and hung still for a few short seconds before scattering themselves throughout the planet.   
  
"I-I think it's over." Goten said. He looked over at Trunks, who was trying to pry a frightened Kira off of his leg. Suddenly, four glowing balls of light appeared in front of them. They soon took the form of people, and the light faded to reveal Natalie, Vegita, Goku, and Piccolo. When the four of them gathered their senses, they looked up. Natalie was still confused, until she locked on to Trunks' figure.  
  
"T-Trunks!" she cried, racing across the yard and jumping into his arms, almost knocking him backward. Trunks looked a bit stunned, but was overwhelmed with joy at the same time. Vegita, Goku, and Piccolo stood still, observing the scene. Then, all at the same time, they spotted a little, purple-haired girl clinging to Trunks' leg. Vegita's eyes nearly bugged out of his head while Goku and Piccolo got humongus sweat drops. Natalie finally peeled herself away from Trunks and looked down at Kira.  
  
"Hi mommy!" the girl spoke, jumping into Natalie's arms. Vegita got an even more ridiculous look of surprise on his face and fell over.  
  
"Heh heh. Who's the girl, Trunks?" Goku asked, grinning.  
  
"Er..." Trunks started, not exactly sure on how to explain the situation. He waited for Kira to use her *wonderful* sense of timing and deliver an innocent-eyed comment about her *parents*, but she didn't.   
  
"Yes, Trunks." Vegita began, with a psychotic look in his eyes. "Please...explain."  
  
"Well...you see, there was this...um..." Trunks trailed off. He looked at Natalie nervously. It was apparent that she was scared stiff.  
  
"Anyone hungry?" Goten said, breaking the awkward silence. However, nobody even glanced at him. They were all focused on the girl.  
By now, Vegita had his fists clenched and his teeth gritted. It was obvious that he was *quite* angry.  
  
"Well, you see, Vegita, it's really quite simple." Natalie began. "This girl-"  
  
"Had better be pretty tough if she wants to survive the onslaught YOU two are going to suffer." Vegita growled. Natalie stepped back in fear.   
  
"Vegita, don't you think you're overreacting?" Goku asked.   
  
"Stay out of this Kakarott!" Vegita snapped. Just then, Bulma popped out the door.   
  
"Vegita you're back!" she cried, and ran to her husband, just as Natalie had, almost knocking him backward. He smiled slightly and allowed his left hand to rest on her back.   
  
"Hey dad!" Goten said, walking over to Goku and slapping him on the back. "How was the trip?"  
  
"Great. We met up with King Kai again." Goku replied, studying the scene. "I think we should go home to your mother. I don't want her to yell at me for being late!" Goku said happily, and took off to the sky. Goten said goodbye to everyone, and followed his father.   
  
Piccolo was standing by himself, with his arms folded, when Kira innocently approached him.  
  
"Hi." She said. "I'm Kira. Are you mister Piccolo?" she asked. Piccolo went wide-eyed.   
  
"Who are you?" he asked, studying her suspiciously.   
  
"I told you already." She said, laughing. Bulma noticed her and then turned back to Vegita with a sweat drop.  
  
"H-have you met Kira yet, honey?" she asked nervously.   
  
"You mean that brat over there?" Vegita said.   
  
"She's not a brat!" Natalie spoke up. Vegita glared at her.  
  
"Oh really?" he said. "Then tell me...who IS she?"  
  
"She's OUR daughter." Natalie said, pulling Trunks to her side. Trunks had a nervous look on his face. Obviously Natalie didn't know what she was getting into.   
  
"That's impossible." Vegita said. "She must be at least five years old."  
  
"She's from the future." Trunks informed. Piccolo looked up.  
  
"The future, huh? How did she get here?" Piccolo asked.  
  
"Well...I don't know." Natalie said, and then turned to Kira. "How did you get here?" she asked.   
  
"I don't know." Kira answered simply. Everyone fell over.  
  
"Well surely someone sent you?" Natalie said.   
  
"Yes you sent me right before you died." Kira replied. Natalie cringed and the thought of being killed by the one person she truly hated. Orion.  
  
"Did you travel in a time machine?" Trunks asked.  
  
"No." Kira answered. "I just wished to come back in time, and it happened." She explained. Natalie and Trunks were now quite confused.  
  
"You mean you just...WISHED? That's all?" Trunks asked. Vegita had his arms folded as usual, with Bulma by his side looking concerned. "I don't understand." He said, looking over at Natalie, who was still looking at Kira with a curious look on her face.   
  
"Well I should have known..." Vegita commented, turning back to Trunks and Natalie. "That you two would go and do something like this." He said, and gestured over to Kira, who was running in circles around Piccolo.   
  
"What's the matter, Vegita?" Natalie said, getting a defensive stance. "You can't handle someone like me being related to someone like you?"  
  
"No." Vegita growled. "I can't handle the fact that nobody bothered to tell me that you two decided to get it on in the future." Natalie jumped back from the bluntness of that comment.  
  
"Well, that's one way of putting it honey." Bulma said, trying to calm her husband down. "I think they just wanted to wait until you returned to Earth to reveal the...news."  
  
"Vegita don't take it so hard." Natalie said calmly. "You should be proud because you have continued the Saiyan race." Vegita's face softened a bit and he looked over at Kira, who was still managing to have fun with Piccolo. Natalie smiled, knowing that she had convinced him. He looked at Natalie's smiling face and hardened up again.   
  
"Hmph. Just as long as she isn't a pathetic weakling I suppose I can stand her." He said. Natalie was filled with joy and ran to Vegita to hug him. He just stood there like a statue, not moving. Trunks walked over as well.  
  
"Thanks dad." He said, putting his hand behind his head and looking around the yard. Kira was holding hands with Piccolo and giving him a tour of the backyard. Trunks snickered.  
  
"Well I think we should go in and celebrate!" Bulma exclaimed, taking Vegita by the hand and strutting into the building. Natalie and Trunks stood next to each other as they watched Kira and Piccolo. Trunks squeezed Natalie's hand, as if to say "I'm glad you're back". She looked at him and smiled, her eyes sparkling in the morning sun.  
  
"You look different." He said, looking at her.   
  
"Do you mean that in a good way?" she asked. Trunks nodded.  
  
"The training paid off, I assume." Trunks commented.   
  
"Oh, did it ever. I feel so much more powerful now!" Natalie exclaimed, flexing her muscles. Trunks laughed and play-punched her in the stomach.   
  
"Hey daddy!" Kira called across the yard. Trunks and Natalie both turned to their daughter. "Can mister Piccolo stay for dinner?" she asked.   
  
"She's just like Gohan was when he was little." Trunks whispered to Natalie. "At least that's what I hear."  
  
"Does Piccolo want to stay for lunch?" Natalie asked, glancing up at the Namek. He had a look on his face that read "save me!".   
"Maybe another day." Natalie said, and gestured for her to come over.  
  
""But I want him to stay now!" Kira whined. Piccolo had a sweat drop and it was clear that he did not know what to do in this situation. Natalie looked at him expectedly, as if waiting for his opinion on the matter.  
  
"Uh, well...I have to get going." He said, trying to think of an excuse. "I...promised Tien that I would...train him. Yeah." Natalie and Trunks looked at the Namek in disbelief.   
  
"Okay. See you tomorrow mister Piccolo." Kira said, and waved goodbye to him as he flew off. The three of them then headed towards the Capsule Corp. building to enjoy each other's company and celebrate. 


	21. Chapter 21

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion   
  
Chapter 21 - United, They Stand   
  
  
  
The entire Briefs family all gathered in the family room, united at last. Bulma brought out the capsules, each full of various foods, drinks, and other appetizing things. She had wanted to have the son family over as well, but it was obvious that Chi-Chi had other plans for her family. Bulma was ecstatic that Vegita had returned. She had forgotten how lonely it was without him. It was obvious that he was happy to be home too. Kira took turns fawning over each member of the family while Bra kept herself busy by giving Natalie and Trunks "I told you so" looks.  
  
"Tell us, what did you two do?" Bulma asked. "Natalie how was the journey?"  
  
"Well it took me almost three hours!" Natalie said, pausing to take a bite of a finger food. "And then when I got there, I couldn't move around well for the first hour or so."  
  
"Heh, it gave us a chance to beat the mmph-" Vegita broke off when Bulma slapped her hand over his mouth.   
  
"Honey we have *children* in our presence" Bulma whispered harshly to Vegita.  
  
"Fine then. Why don't you tell ME about the girl?" he said, looking over at Kira, but without hostility.   
  
"Kira." Natalie corrected, looking at Vegita suspiciously. She would make sure that he didn't try anything. Bulma stood up from her chair.  
  
"Vegita, honey, why don't you come and let me *show* you something in the science wing." Bulma said sternly. Vegita looked at her and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What are you talking about?" He asked. Bulma jerked her head towards the entrance to the science wing, suggesting that she wanted him to follow her. Vegita stood up and walked across the room nonchalantly. Trunks, Natalie, Kira, and Bra followed their footsteps with their eyes. Suddenly an awkward silence fell upon the room. Trunks looked at Natalie nervously.   
  
"Trunks?" Natalie said, suddenly sitting up from her relaxed position on the floor. He looked at her questioningly. "I just remembered. Oh my gosh what did they say at school? Did you tell them what happened?" she asked frantically.   
  
"No, no Natalie calm down." Trunks said soothingly. "Mom's going to home school us."  
  
"Oh." She said plainly. "Just like Goten, right?" Trunks nodded. Natalie sighed a heavy sigh of relief, and slumped back onto the floor. "I have so much to do." She thought to herself. It was a good thing that she didn't allow herself to grow close to anyone at school. She had drifted away from all of her friends ever since the first encounter with Orion. She only did it for her own good, as well as the protection of the Briefs family. Now there would be no worry about her friends questioning her of her whereabouts during the past 2 and a half months.  
  
"Are you okay?" Trunks asked, breaking her train of thought and startling her.   
  
"Oh, sure. I was just trying to gather my thoughts." Natalie replied. "Kira, why don't you and Bra go play in the backyard?" she suggested. Kira nodded and lead Bra outside.   
  
"What did you do that for-?" Trunks broke off.   
  
"Just a little peace and quiet." Natalie replied. She ran a hand through her hair. "Gross." She said, looking down at her hand. "I need to shower." She got up slowly and headed upstairs towards her room. Trunks followed behind, watching her walk up the stairs. She turned around and looked at him. "Need something Trunks?" she asked, turning to face him.   
  
"No." he whispered, drawing closer. She leaned in and they stood together on the stairs, sharing a kiss. Just then, as if already planned, Bulma and Vegita walked back in from the science wing and caught them. Unfortunately the two teens were too preoccupied to notice. Vegita grew red in the face, but Bulma grabbed him by the hand to stop him.  
  
"Honey, don't." she whispered. He clenched his fists and dropped them to his side, proceeding to quietly exit the room with Bulma. As soon as they were out of sight and hearing range, he spoke.  
  
"They could have at least gotten a room or something." Vegita said harshly. Bulma smiled at him.  
  
"Thank you." She said, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "I'm glad you're back." He smiled wryly at her.   
  
"Oh, really?" he asked. "Then prove it." She looked at him strangely for a moment before she got the idea, and pulled him into the powder room and slammed the door, revealing Trunks and Natalie standing at the end of the hallway with disgusted looks on their faces and huge sweatdrops.  
  
"What do you think they're doing in there?" Natalie whispered.  
  
"I don't know." Trunks answered. "But I don't think I want to."  
  
"Do you think they saw us?" Natalie asked, looking up at Trunks fearfully. "After all we didn't pick the BEST spot in the house." Trunks laughed at her.  
  
"Nah, I don't think they saw." He said. The two then left the area and headed upstairs.   
  
"I still need to get my shower." Natalie said, reaching inside the linen closet for some towels. "Make sure that Kira stays in the yard and doesn't get hurt, and if she gets hurt, call-"  
  
"Natalie." Trunks interrupted her. "I've been watching her for 2 and 1/2 months. I think I can handle 20 minutes." He assured her with a smile. Natalie looked down at her feet.  
  
"Oh...right." She said. She then kissed Trunks on the cheek and headed inside her room, shutting the door behind her.   
  
While Natalie stood in the shower, letting the hot water run down her back, she was deep in thought. She was worried about Kira. How was she going to get back to her time? And if she did, would she end up like Mirai Trunks and still have a bleak future ahead of her? When was she going to leave? Natalie hurled the soap into the shower wall in frustration. Why did everything have to be so hard? Why couldn't she just lead a normal life like any other 15-year-old girl? While she was on King Kai's planet, she didn't think about much besides training. She had put it off, as usual, and now everything had built up on her. She was so out of touch with reality, that shampoo ran into her eyes and brought her back. She emitted a cry and attempted to flush it out of her eye, slipping on the bar of soap in the process and hitting her head on the soap rack.  
  
Meanwhile, Trunks sat in his room and listened to the crashing sounds that were coming from Natalie's room and laughed to himself, realizing that she would probably be in a bad mood when she was finished. He made a mental note to stay out of her way.   
  
Ten minutes later, Natalie emerged from the shower with red, irritated eyes and a knot on the back of her head. She looked rather annoyed as her eyes crawled around the room, observing the scene. Her room was just as she left it, with a few exceptions. She figured that Kira had been sleeping in here, so of course the bed was unmade. A knock at the door startled her.  
  
"Nat are you okay?" Trunks' muffled voice was heard from the other side of her door. He had obviously disregarded his previous mental note. Natalie approached the door slowly, then swung it open to catch him off guard.  
  
"Why do you ask?" she questioned, looking at him with a crooked smile on her face.  
  
"Well....er...I was just-I mean..." Trunks stumbled. Natalie play punched him in the stomach,   
  
"That's always like you. Don't think a girl like me can handle a little bump on the head, huh?" she said, crossing her arms, but not angrily. "Is Kira in yet?" she asked. Trunks shook his head.  
  
"No she's still outside with Bra." Trunks replied.  
  
"I see you've been training her." Natalie commented as she stepped into the bathroom and tied her damp hair into a ponytail.  
  
"Did she tell you?" Trunks asked.  
  
"No. But I can tell." Natalie replied with a smirk.  
  
"She went super Saiyan you know." Trunks pointed out. Natalie turned to him with a doubtful look on her face.  
  
"Trunks, please. She's five." She said.   
  
"I'm serious!" Trunks said. "You can test her. She did it when she saw you..." he trailed off. "Well, you know."  
  
"Oh really?" Natalie asked. "Wait until Vegita hears about that. He'll be so proud he'll forget all about his hostility towards us." Natalie said dryly.   
  
"Come on, Nat. You know that dad loves you both." Trunks said.  
  
"Even so...he sure loves to hide it." She replied.   
  
"He's like that with everyone. It's just part of his personality." Trunks said. "Remember when he saved you?" Trunks asked.  
  
"Saved me? From what?" Natalie questioned. "Usually I need saving FROM him."  
  
"Remember? When we were fighting Orion the second time." Trunks said. Natalie still had the look of doubt on her face. "That doesn't even matter. You love him, though, don't you?" he asked. Natalie looked at him with a "you're crazy" look on her face. "I know you do, Nat. After all...it was his death that pushed you to the super Saiyan state."  
  
"Who cares anyway?" Natalie said. "How did we get on the subject of Vegita?"  
  
"Yes, how did you?" a voice asked form behind. The two spun around to see Vegita leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed.  
  
"Oh, were we talking about you?" Natalie said sarcastically. "I could have sworn that we were talking about someone with an over-inflated ego." Vegita sneered.  
  
"Testy today, aren't we?" he commented, and then turned to Trunks. "Since the girl is back, Bulma said that you two need to begin your studies immediately." Trunks and Natalie groaned. "Hey if it was up to me you two would spend most of your time in the gravity room. You know how she can get." He commented.   
  
"I heard that!" Bulma called from the lower level. Trunks and Natalie snickered. "So you think I'm wrong in making them study, huh?" Bulma said as she walked up the stairs. "Well just look at Chi-Chi! That poor Gohan never saw the light of day unless Goku dragged him out of the house!"  
  
"Hmph. Studying is a waste of time." Vegita said. "If another threat was imposed on the planet, what good would your textbooks do?"  
  
"Vegita, maybe you just don't understand since your skull is full of nothing but muscle." Natalie commented. Vegita spun around angrily.  
  
"You brat! We'll see about that!" he said. "After you two finish your *studies* I'll show you what it's REALLY like to work."   
  
"You're on." Natalie challenged.  
  
"There they go again..." Trunks thought to himself. "Come ON Natalie let's get our work done." He said, grabbing the girl by the wrist and dragging her into her bedroom. "I brought your books home for you." Trunks said, walking into his room and gathering a pile of textbooks and paper.   
  
"Oh, well you could have just left them, or lost them on the way home." Natalie joked. They threw their work onto Natalie's bed and got it organized for studying.   
  
"I didn't know you took french." Trunks said, picking up her french textbook, reading the cover. "Allez Viens?" he inquired.  
  
"It means 'Let's Go'" Natalie answered. "Now let's hurry up and get this over with." She continued, pulling out her physics book and calculator. They had been studying for about ten minutes, when Trunks broke the silence.  
  
"It's too quiet in here." He said. Natalie looked at him with a look of rage on her face. "What?" Trunks asked.  
  
"I was JUST about to solve this problem!" she said, pointing to a question in her book. Trunks backed away sheepishly. "Oh, fine. What, you want music? You wanna open a window?" she asked, standing up.   
  
"How about both." He suggested. Natalie walked over and opened the far window, letting in a cool breeze and sounds of the outside world. She then walked back across the room and flipped on the radio.  
  
"There." She said, sitting down again. After five more minutes, Trunks spoke up again.  
  
"I'm thirsty. You want something to drink?" he asked. Natalie slapped herself on the forehead. Trunks shrugged and left the room, and Natalie seized the opportunity to continue working. A few minutes later, after Natalie had diligently scribbled over the entire front side of her paper, Trunks returned with two sodas and a tray of sushi. Natalie grabbed her can and gulped down the contents, not even breaking for air before she finished.  
  
"I haven't tasted anything that good in...2 and 1/2 months!" she exclaimed. Trunks looked at her with one eyebrow cocked and a sweat drop.  
  
"You should have told me, I would have brought more." He said. After she took a few bites of sushi, she returned to her work with a curbed appetite. Trunks finally got around to doing some studying as well.   
  
About half an hour went by before they were interrupted again. This time, it was by Kira. She popped into the room out of curiosity.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked, watching Natalie and Trunks.  
  
"Oh, hi Kira." Natalie said. "We're just working on catching up in our studies."   
  
"I hate studying." Kira said, and made a face.   
  
"Well then it's obvious that you take after us." Trunks joked.  
  
"You two stop wasting time and keep working!" Bulma called from down the hall. Trunks and Natalie sighed simultaneously and slammed their heads into the bed as Kira tiptoed out of the room to avoid confrontation.   
  
The two slaved over countless assignments and tests until Natalie could hardly think straight and Trunks began misspelling his name. He looked over at the clock and realized that they had been working for three hours. Finally, Bulma walked in.  
  
"Well I see that you two have gotten plenty done. You can take a break!" she said. Natalie and Trunks were on the verge of tears of joy, when Vegita stepped in.  
  
"And you two can head straight for the gravity room." He said, looking right at Natalie. She cowered, since she wasn't in the right frame of mind to challenge him.   
  
"Dad, why?" Trunks asked.   
  
"Because we have to teach little miss spoiled brat here a lesson or two." He shot back.   
  
"I am not spoiled you pig headed prince!" Natalie said angrily. "You're the one who has a heart attack when someone dares to talk back to the honorary prince of Saiya-jins!"   
  
"Why must you two constantly fight?" Bulma cried, stepping in between Natalie and Vegita. "How do you expect to live together like this? This bickering only makes things worse."  
  
"I am not submitting to him this time until he apologizes for making false accusations about me." Natalie declared. Vegita shot her a distasteful look. "I think that I have proven myself worthy of respect from even you." She continued, and looked right into Vegita's eyes, not even flinching. Seeing this, he backed down.   
  
"Well, girl, I must admit that you have an impressive fire in your eyes. Just don't get carried away." He said, and with a smirk, walked away. Bulma and Trunks looked with doubtful surprise at Natalie. She masked it, but inside she was beaming with pride. She had taken down the mighty prince, and had done so on more than one occasion.  
  
"Well I came to tell you guys that I finally finished my latest invention!" Bulma said happily. She looked like a child who had just finished a sandcastle at the beach.   
  
"What is it?" Natalie asked curiously.  
  
"Well come with me and I'll show you!" Bulma exclaimed, and bounded down the stairs towards the science wing of Capsule Corp. Natalie, Trunks, and Vegita all followed in pursuit. Finally, they reached the main lab, and stepped into one of the sub-rooms. "Here it is! What do you think?" Bulma said. Next to her was a large robot, standing at about 6 feet tall. It was obviously plated with some kind of metal alloy, and had "CCHD no. 1" printed on its forearm. Bulma opened a plate on its chest and flipped on what was presumed to be the main switch. The machine's eyes lit up and a low hum was heard.  
  
"Wow." Natalie said, gaping. "You made that all by yourself?" Bulma nodded with excitement.   
  
"I've been working on it since before you even arrived, Natalie. It's a droid designed to assist people. It can tap into the main computer network, and it can also help out greatly with training in the gravity room or using other mechanisms in the building." Bulma explained. Natalie studied the droid with a look of pure awe on her face, while Trunks and Vegita looked at Bulma as if she were speaking a foreign language.  
  
"That's great." Natalie complimented.  
  
"Oh, and I have one more thing to show you." Bulma said. She walked across the room and picked up a small device. It was very similar to a scouter, with the exception that it fit over both ears and extended entirely across the face. "This," Bulma began, "is for Kira."  
  
"What do you mean?" Trunks asked, looking over at an equally confused Natalie and then back at his mother.   
  
"We haven't been able to think of a way to return her to her original time, right?" she asked. "Well I've been experimenting. And I've come up with this gadget. It's designed to use power from her ki, as well as her brainwaves, and convert them into a code that will be used to transport her to the future." She said. Everyone looked impressed. "Obviously, it hasn't been tested. I'm quite confident with its ability, though."  
  
"Y-you mean you don't know if it works yet?" Natalie stammered. "And you want to use it on Kira?"  
  
"Now calm down, Nat." Trunks said. "Remember that mom worked on this for a while, and she knows what she's doing."  
  
"Don't worry about the little brat." Vegita said. "She'll be fine, if she is a true Saiyan." Natalie rolled her eyes. Vegita and his Saiyan pride. Just then, Kira and Bra walked in.  
  
"We're hungry." Bra complained, looking up at Vegita with longing eyes and pouted lips. Trunks and Natalie slapped themselves on the heads and fell on the ground.  
  
"What is it now?" Vegita said, obviously irritated.  
  
"When's dinner?" Kira asked with a cheesy grin on her face, as if she had taken lessons from the master, Goku himself.  
  
"Why don't we order a pizza!" Natalie exclaimed, suddenly jumping up with a hungry look on her face. Trunks did the same. Bulma and Vegita looked at each other with doubtful looks on their faces, and then sighed.   
  
"Yeah!" Trunks said, running out of the room and heading towards the living quarters. Natalie let out a cry of happiness and followed, as well as Bra and Kira.   
  
"It's nice to see them so happy." Bulma said, smiling at her husband. "Don't you agree?"  
  
"Sure." Vegita said sarcastically. "I feel like jumping for joy."  
  
"Vegita why don't you just live a little?" Bulma joked, elbowing him in the ribs. "You're always so serious. I hardly see you laugh, unless you're laughing at the kids' misfortunes."  
  
Just then, there was a knock at the door.  
  
"That pizza sure was fast!" Natalie said, looking at the door with an astounded look on her face. She slowly walked up to the door and opened it cautiously. In the doorway stood Krillin, Number 18, and blonde haired girl.  
  
"Well hi Natalie!" Krillin said with a grin on his face. "We were in the neighborhood and decided to stop by and see how things were going! I see that you've been wished back." Natalie nodded.   
  
"This morning." She replied. "Is this your daughter?" she asked, studying the girl for a few seconds.   
  
"This is Marron." 18 said. "You must not have met her, since we didn't bring her along to the beach outing."  
  
"Hi." Natalie said cheerfully. "We ordered pizza just a few minutes ago, do you guys wanna stay for some?" she asked, looking up at Krillin and his wife, and then back at Marron. Trunks walked into the foyer and stood next to Natalie, greeting Krillin and his family. Vegita and Bulma soon came as well, and Bulma started a conversation with 18 about the sale at the shopping center, while Vegita and Krillin shook their heads sadly. Marron looked up at Trunks and blushed. She was wearing a pink sundress over a white, long-sleeved blouse, and her blonde hair was topped by a pink hat. "I like your dress, it's cute." Natalie commented. "You must take after your mother. I hear she's very fashion conscious."  
  
"Thank you." She said shyly.   
  
"How old are you Marron?" Natalie asked.  
  
"Eleven." She replied. She was very quiet and reserved.  
  
"I'm fifteen." Natalie said. "And Trunks here is sixteen. But being friends, I'm sure you must know that already."  
  
"Why don't you come inside and sit down?" Trunks offered. "That is, if you guys can stay for a while." Marron's eyes lit up and she bounded into the building. While she headed for the living quarters, Natalie pulled Trunks aside.  
  
"Don't quote me on it, but I think she likes you!" she whispered into his ear. He looked at her like she was crazy and blushed. "You're cute." Natalie said, this time out loud, and punched him in the ribs. He chuckled and places his arm around her playfully. Marron was witness to the event and pouted at the sight of Natalie close to him.   
  
Bra suddenly appeared behind the blonde haired girl and tapped her on the shoulder.   
  
"Hi Marron!" she said, obviously excited to see her friend. Kira joined Bra and looked at Marron curiously.   
  
"Who is that?" Marron asked, studying Kira as well.  
  
"She's Kira. You don't know her because she's from the future!" Bra said cutely with an excited tone of her little girl voice.  
  
"The future?" Marron said, confused. "Why are you here?"  
  
"My mommy sent me. She's over there with my daddy." Kira said, pointing to Natalie and Trunks. Marron glanced over and her eyes went wide in disbelief. Kira was their daughter!   
  
"O-oh." She stuttered. "I didn't think that she was his type." Bra and Kira looked at Marron confusedly.   
  
Natalie and Trunks were standing near the entrance to the kitchen, looking rather bored.  
  
"Hey wanna spar?" Natalie asked, looking at Trunks.  
  
"Sure." He replied. The couple walked into the main living room. "Bra, Kira, Marron. We're gonna go outside and spar. If you need anything we'll be in the back." Kira and Bra nodded, and Marron just stared. "Tell us when the pizza arrives." Trunks finished, and then walked towards the back door. Natalie waved to the three and followed Trunks outside. The stood in the sun for a few minutes, enjoying the day air and bright atmosphere.  
  
"I've almost forgotten what this is like." Natalie commented, shutting her eyes tightly and tilting her head towards the sun.  
  
"Well I'm sure you'll have had enough of it by the time we're finished. That is...if you really want to spar heavily." Trunks said.  
  
"Oh, I think you'd be surprised with my improvements!" Natalie said, sneering.   
  
"C'mon. Show me your stuff." Trunks said. They then got into fighting position and bowed out of respect. Right as Trunks was returning to his upright state, Natalie lunged at him and landed a blow straight to his gut. He winced in pain for a few seconds and then quickly recovered. He then tried to counterattack, but she put up a ki shield to block him, knocking him back. He shot a kamehameha at her, but she knocked it off course and sent it flying into a distant mass of trees, which were vaporized instantly. Frustrated, Trunks flew at Natalie, harder this time, and almost caught her off guard, but she took charge and faded away quickly. She reappeared about five feet away and swiftly charged a ki blast. Of course, Trunks would block it. But she knew that and was using it merely for distraction purposes. As soon as Trunks made his move to block the blast, Natalie took advantage of the situation and sent a fury of hundreds of small blasts flying at him. If it worked, he would be so overwhelmed that he wouldn't be able to block them all, rendering him vulnerable. Just as he finished blocking her first blast, he turned back to discover what seemed to be thousands of ki bombs heading straight for him.  
  
"Shit Natalie!" Trunks cried, and crossed his forearms over his face. His form then disappeared in the light and flying dust as the blasts made impact. After all of the blasts had dissipated and the dust settled, Trunks was seen, still in the same position, breathing heavily and covered in singe marks. Natalie chuckled slightly at the sight.  
  
"Didn't expect that, now, did you?" she said.  
  
"Not at all." Trunks said, regaining his composure. "I have to hand it to you, it was pretty good." He said, and walked over towards Natalie. She jumped back and got into position. "Relax, I'm not going to fight." He said. She slowly lowered her arms and dropped them to her side. Trunks walked over to her and put his arm around her. Suddenly, he grabbed her wrists, forced them behind her back, and spun her around to face him. "Just kidding." He said with an evil grin on his face. Natalie had a look of sheer surprise on her face.  
  
"Hey! You lied!" she complained, struggling to get free.  
  
"Never trust the opponent." Trunks said, smirking. "My dad taught me that the hard way as well."  
  
"Okay, okay I give up. You win." She said. Trunks held her for a few seconds longer before releasing his grip. She then retaliated by grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back so that it bent the wrong way. At the angle, he wasn't able to use his free hand either. "Gotcha!" she cried victoriously.   
  
"Oh, come on, Nat! You know I was only kidding." Trunks said.  
  
"Of course." She said, and twisted his arm more, furthering his discomfort.   
  
"Ow!" he cried in protest. "Okay, let me go and I promise not to do it again."   
  
"Not enough." She said.   
  
"And I'll clean your room for a week!" he said, hoping to be free of the uncomfortable position as soon as possible.  
  
"Done." Natalie said, and let him go. He rubbed his arm and looked over at Natalie.  
  
"I guess I should be more careful around you." He said, looking at her with a crooked smile. She put her arm around his shoulder.  
  
"Just know, that you have to be careful when you make any woman mad." She said cockily. Trunks laughed and kissed her on the cheek as they headed inside. Marron watched them from the window and glared angrily at Natalie.  
  
"Why does she get to have him?" she thought to herself. "I've known him longer than she has." She could feel herself growing angrier, and her ki began to rise as a result.  
  
"I've been thinking about Kira..." Natalie said to Trunks as they stepped inside the building.   
  
"You mean about sending her back?" Trunks asked. Natalie nodded in response. "You're afraid of sending her?"  
  
"It's not exactly like that." Natalie replied. "I just don't know exactly how to do it, or when." While they were talking, they passed by Marron, and Natalie thought she could sense a hint of hostility in her ki. "Hmm..." she thought to herself. "She doesn't look like the angry type. I wonder what's up."   
  
"Something on your mind?" Trunks asked.   
  
"No I'm fine." Natalie said, linking her arm in his. Bulma, Vegita, Krillin, and 18 were all sitting in the living room, carrying on a conversation, and Bra and Kira were playing together in the corner. Marron was standing alone, staring out the window.  
  
"Marron you okay?" Trunks asked. The girl turned to him and smiled.  
  
"I am now." She said.   
  
"Do you like pizza?" Natalie asked with a smile. Marron nodded shyly. "You don't have to feel shy around me, Marron! I'm harmless, even though I can kick Trunks' tail around." She joked. Marron chuckled, but kept her gaze on the floor. She knew that Natalie was a good person, but she couldn't help but feel jealous of her relationship with Trunks. Just then, the doorbell rang. "Pizza's here!" Natalie cried, and raced to the door, leaving a trail of flying dust behind her. She swung the door open to reveal three men, each struggling to hold what seemed like ten boxes of pizza each.  
  
"Did you guys order 30 pizzas, ten with extra cheese, ten with pepperoni, and ten with ham and onions?" the guy in the middle said, straining to see over the boxes.   
  
"That's us." Natalie said, grabbing the armload from his hands. Trunks got ten more, and Marron grabbed the rest.   
  
"How many people you thinkin of feedin with those there pizzas?" the one on the left asked. He was missing a tooth and had a five o'clock shadow appearing on his face.   
  
"Um..." Natalie said, pausing to count everyone. "Nine." She said.   
  
"Only nine? Gosh darned we thought you'd be feedin an army." He said, grinning and bearing his gap. "That'll be...276 dollars." He said. "Hop you got that much pretty lady."  
  
"Oh, believe me, we do." Trunks said, tossing him a wad of bills. The man caught it and looked at it as if he were holding a tarantula.   
  
"Bye." Natalie said, slamming the door in his face. They all carried the pizzas into the kitchen and set them on the table. The kids ran in with hungry looks on their faces. Soon, the kitchen was buzzing with activity as each person made attempts to serve his or herself. After about ten minutes of commotion, everyone had begun munching on their dinner. Natalie and Trunks, each carrying about eight slices each, headed for the back door. Natalie saw Marron watching them and gestured for her to follow. The three sat outside and ate, trying to carry on a conversation with mouthfuls of food. Natalie and Trunks were stuffing their faces, being Saiyans, while Marron held her single slice to her mouth and gaped. After her fourth slice, Natalie looked at Marron, who hadn't taken a bite while watching the other two.   
  
"You must have been hungry." Marron said.  
  
"Yeah, I was. Saiya-jins tend to be more on the piggish side." She joked. Trunks choked on a string of cheese.  
  
"You're not a Saiya-jin." Marron said, looking at Natalie suspiciously.   
  
"Well, yeah...I am." Natalie said. "Did your parents not tell you?"  
  
"Dad just told me that you were from outer space." Marron said.  
  
"Well I have the tail to prove it." Natalie said, unwrapping it from her waist and swishing it around.  
  
"Oh, I thought you just had some weird kind of belt on." Marron said, smiling with an embarrassed look on her face.  
  
"I guess it kinda looks that way. But I am a genuine Saiya-jin hybrid." Natalie said proudly. Trunks, who had now recovered from the previous incident with the cheese, smirked at her.   
  
"Oh." Marron said. "I'm just a normal human...nothing special."  
  
"I thought your mom was an android." Natalie said. Trunks choked again.  
  
"She's not a robot." Marron said defensively.  
  
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that. I meant...oh nevermind." Natalie said. "I heard she's got an unlimited power source. That's great."   
  
"Yeah." Marron said, still a bit irritated.   
  
"Do you have it?" Natalie asked.  
  
"I don't know. I've never really trained much." Marron replied.  
  
"Krillin never trained you?" Trunks asked.  
  
"He tried but mom didn't like it much." Marron said.  
  
"I think it's a 'mother' thing." Trunks joked. Natalie, of course, elbowed him. Marron looked at him and her eyes sparkled as she laughed. Natalie immediately recognized the attraction. The trio finished their dinner and headed inside to relax.  
  
"Now all we have to worry about is the situation with Kira." Natalie said, sighing heavily.   
  
"Nat, just focus on having fun for once." Trunks said. Natalie smiled, forcing back tears.  
  
"I wish I could." She whispered. 


	22. Chapter 22

Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion   
  
Chapter 22 - Kira's Departure  
  
  
It was the day after Krillin's family had paid the Briefs' a visit. After many internal debates, Natalie had finally decided that Marron had a grudge against her. She figured that it mainly had to do with the fact that she and Trunks had affections for each other, but Natalie sensed something else behind Marron's anger. It just wasn't natural....at least she sensed so. But, even she was known to make false accusations, so she decided to keep her mouth shut for the time being.   
  
"Mommy can you help me?" a small voice said from behind. Natalie quickly snapped back to reality and turned around to see Kira sitting on her bed, struggling to put her boot on.   
  
"Sure." Natalie said, and pushed the girl's foot inside the envelope of leather and tough fabric. Her little boots resembled Trunks' perfectly.   
  
Today was the day that Kira would be leaving. Natalie knew better, but she couldn't help but feel an ache in her chest. She didn't know whether it was from fear of her daughter's safety, or the fact that she would miss her. Maybe it was both. Bulma had checked and re-checked her device countless times, just to make sure that everything would run smoothly. Natalie could see excitement in the little girl's eyes. There was no question in that, since she had come from a harsh, desolate world, and was looking forward to returning to a home that she knew. Natalie preyed that she would return to the same timeline, and that things would be different than they were when Kira had left. She knew the story of Mirai Trunks, and didn't want such a thing to happen to her little girl.   
  
"Nat, you ready?" Trunks said, popping his head into the room. Natalie looked up at him, being awakened from yet another trance. She frowned and looked down at Kira, who was sitting quietly and patiently on the edge of the bed, playing with her tail.  
  
"Yeah, I am." Natalie said, and stood up. She could hear Bulma and Vegita talking downstairs. The three descended to the lower floor, slowly but surely.   
  
"So what you're saying, is that all she has to do is *think* about going home?" Vegita said, obviously not grasping onto the concept. Bulma nodded for what was probably the fifth time in ten minutes.   
  
"Oh, Bulma is he bothering you again with his persistent interrogations?" Natalie said as she stepped onto level ground again. Vegita shot her a "very funny" look.  
  
"Are you ready to do this?" Bulma asked, looking at Natalie. "You don't seem to be sure either way."  
  
"It's not about me, it's about Kira." Natalie said. "I shouldn't hold her back because of my own emotions."  
  
"Oh, for once you're not thinking of yourself." Vegita commented.   
  
"That was a very hypocritical comment you just made there." Natalie snapped. He just couldn't resist any opportunity to insult someone.  
  
"Oh, stop fighting." Bulma said. "You two are constantly at each other. It's getting to be quite irritating." Trunks nodded in agreement.  
  
"Well if the prince over there would just keep his thoughts to himself..." Natalie trailed off. Trunks looked at her and shook his head as if to say, "don't go any further with that". Kira tugged at Natalie's shorts impatiently. "Yes, I know." She said, looking down at her purple-haired daughter. The family picked themselves up and headed for the science wing.   
  
"Now remember...this thing hasn't been tested. But don't worry, I'm almost certain of its abilities from previous testing with the same sort of equipment." Bulma said as they walked through several corridors, which would branch off into more corridors.   
  
"It's a wonder nobody got lost and starved in here." Natalie said. Trunks laughed and shook his head.   
  
"Well there was that one employee..." he started, obviously joking around. Bulma finally reached a room near the end of a hallway and stopped, indicating that this was the room they were looking for. She opened the door and stepped inside, revealing all sorts of different mechanisms and scrap pieces from others. The helper droid was in the corner with his chest plate open. Bulma picked up the time traveling machine from a counter against the far wall and inspected it.   
  
"This is it." She said, looking up at the group. "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
"Yes, stop making me nervous!" Natalie complained.   
  
"YOU nervous? Imagine how Kira feels." Trunks said, and they both looked down at the girl. She, however, had a broad smile on her face as she looked around the room, and she obviously wasn't paying attention to the conversation.  
  
"I doubt she even cares." Natalie said dryly.  
  
"Kira, honey, do you know how this works?" Bulma said as she stepped closer to the girl and held out the machine.  
  
"Well sure I do...you have one just like it where I come from." She commented. Everyone facefaulted. Kira took the machine from Bulma's hands and held it close to her face, leveling it with her eyes. "I've never used it before, though." She said. After everyone else had "recovered", they all turned to Kira, who slipped the machine over her head. It fit nicely on her ears and the screen covered about half of her face.   
  
"Now you have to concentrate very hard about your home." Bulma said. "Think about the day you left, and think about your surroundings before they were destroyed."  
  
Before Kira could begin, Natalie knelt down and embraced the girl. It was obvious that she was struggling to hold back tears. After a few seconds, she reluctantly let go and stood upright again. Trunks then did the same, but instead he lifted her into his arms playfully and held her above his head as he looked at her. She laughed with delight and squirmed. He then held her tight for a few minutes before setting her down. Bulma bent down and gave Kira a quick squeeze, and then stood up again. Kira then looked at Vegita expectantly, and it was clear that he was debating whether to show emotions or not. Kira took the liberty, however, and ran towards him, wrapping her arms around both of his legs and pressing her cheeks against the material of his clothing. He blushed and tried to hide it, but everyone had already seen it. They made an effort not to say anything, for it would most likely anger him.  
  
"Okay...it's time." Natalie said, her voice quivering. The all stood back, leaving Kira in the middle of the room. She started to walk towards them, but Bulma motioned for her to stay.  
  
"No you have to stand over there. We don't want to risk anyone being caught in the time aura." Bulma explained, but Kira didn't have a clue of what she was talking about. "Start thinking, Kira." She continued. "Think about being home with your parents in the future, and how happy you were with them." Kira closed her eyes tightly and began to concentrate. At first, nothing happened. Natalie, who had been holding her hands together at her chest, dropped them to her side in confusion. Suddenly, Kira began o glow faintly. Natalie brought her arms back up again and stepped back in surprise. The glow grew in intensity, spreading completely around Kira's body and stretching to a 1-foot radius from the surface of her skin.  
  
"It's working!" Bulma whispered excitedly. The screen that was covering Kira's face began to light up and display several coordinates and numbers. Kira opened her eyes and smiled as she raised one hand and waved. Her body began to flicker in and out.  
  
"Goodbye..." she said, and then the light grew to a blinding brightness just before she disappeared for good. Natalie could still hear the echo of her voice as she looked at the empty space where Kira had once stood.   
  
"Kira..." she whispered, using her index finger to trace the outline of where Kira's body used to be. Trunks wrapped his arm around her and held her tightly, as it was obvious that she was about to start crying.   
  
"I sure hope it worked." Bulma said. "I don't doubt that she got home safely though...I can feel it."  
  
  
  
All she could see was darkness. She waved her arms around frantically and tried to cry out, but she couldn't produce any sound. Suddenly, she could feel strong hands grab her body and shake her, softly at first but it grew in strength. She was gasping for air and trying to speak, and suddenly, she saw a blinding light. Instinctively she raised her hand to shield her eyes from the burning rays. After a few seconds, she began to make out figures and hear distorted sounds that seemed so far away. She opened her mouth to speak, but her words were slurred together and her breaths were short. The figures began to take form, and she could distinguish between two separate forms hovering above her.   
  
"Kira...wake up." She could hear, as the words began to take form and grow in pitch. "Oh no...she's not responding." The voice continued.   
  
"Wait...I think she's trying to say something..." another voice said. Kira then began to recognize the forms above her. She blinked several times to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.  
  
"M-m..." she began.   
  
"Listen..." the voice continued. "She's trying to talk!"  
  
"Mommy!" Kira said, finally getting the words to form on her lips. Suddenly she was picked from the ground and smothered against a warm, smooth surface. It was skin...her mother's skin!  
  
"Oh honey you're okay!" the voice said. Kira's eyes finally focused on the two forms, which she recognized as her parents.   
  
"Mommy! Daddy!" Kira cried, tears streaming down her face. She looked around and recognized that she was in the science wing of Capsule Corp. She then saw Bulma and Vegita standing next to each other near the corner of the room. Kira squirmed out of her mother's arms and stood before them. She blinked several more times, making sure that her eyes were now well adjusted to the environment. There, right before her, were her parents! Her true parents! They weren't dead! She looked around again, and saw white walls, tables, counters, and all sorts of devices. Nothing was lying in ruins! She sniffed the air and took in the scent of her mother and father, as well as odors from the room. Her heart jumped and she felt tickled as she realized that she was back home...in the future. Orion never came to destroy everything that she held dear; he never obliterated her home, her loved ones, anything. Her father scooped her up in his arms and tossed her above his head playfully, and then set her down.  
  
"Oh, honey we are so proud of you." Her mother said, smiling warmly. Kira was overwhelmed with joy as she spun around the room, enjoying her life as it was meant to be.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The End 


End file.
